


Are You Wicked?

by orphan_account



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Basically a good time, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Gay, Farmer!Mingyu, Gag trio + Jihoon, Gore, Humor, Inappropriate Humor, Lil bit of Jeongcheol, M/M, Magical Realism, Medieval!Seventeen, Pretty much anyways heh, Vampires, Witch!Wonwoo, Witches, longfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-07-27 00:39:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7596505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wonwoo was a witch. Yes, that's right, a witch. The kind that make potions, own black cats and have an odd reputation for stealing children. But when he meets a farmer's son, Kim Mingyu, Wonwoo's life gets a lot more interesting...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Once apon a time in a land suprisingly nearby, lived a witch.

But not just any witch. A warlock acting like a witch. And it was pretty convincing.

His name was Wonwoo. Wonwoo's mother had been a witch too. She had been the only witch for miles, which was both good and bad. Good being that no one would actually notice you stealing things. Bad being no one noticed you at all.

Oh sure, the villagers came around when a relative was sick, or they had a ugly boil on their face that they want magicked off. It happened fairly often to be honest. But considering Wonwoo's mother died two weeks ago, no one came up there too often.

With Wonwoo's mother went her knowledge as well. She had taught Wonwoo how to be a warlock. But, to be fair, he wasn't that great at magic. Generally warlocks never really did magic, they just went to live their lives as common folk. But Wonwoo's mother never had a daughter to take her place, so she taught Wonwoo the ways of magic, potion-brewing, herb-gardening and how to properly cook pheasant.

The pheasant cooking was useful. But the magic, that never really worked out. He could do basic things, read small animals' minds, levitate a cup in the air for a few seconds, the usual. But considering his mother was a witch, Wonwoo was expected to have at least a slightly above average amount of magic in him. But he did not. 

What he did do well was the plants and the potions. He meticulously took care of their garden everyday, and was a master chef of potions. He had discovered four all new recipes after two months of working with a cauldron. One of which made your eyes change color, Wonwoo proceeded to have fuchsia-colored irises for three days.

But now he had to be a witch, because warlocks were practically useless. He tended the garden, cleaned the house, and had deep philosophical conversations with his pet rabbit, Sparkles.

He found the jet black, silky-furred rabbit in the forest one day when he took a walk. She climbed onto his shoulder and he took her home. He talked to her so often that he knew what she was saying. Also that whole 'animal mind-reading' thing helped. It was different than having a black cat. You never saw a witch that was a warlock with a verbal black rabbit.

So it was just them. All alone. In a cottage up on a hill, overlooking the village.

And it was late afternoon, Wonwoo was watering the plants in their garden, Sparkles sitting on the tall stone fence that blocked the garden off from the rest of the world.

"Well, the roses are doing well." Wonwoo commented to no one in particular. And yes, there were roses. Not all the plants Wonwoo had were bizarre ones. 

"Well golly, they are. The marsh mallows aren't though, look how wilty they are." Said Sparkles, galloping across the top of the wall and over to the white-flowered plants. They were difficult to make potions with, but if you could then they could cure almost anything.

"Ah, right." Said Wonwoo. He was about to grab his watering can off the turf when he heard someone pounding at the front door. He froze in fear for a second. Who was it? What did they want? Why were they here? What do they want with my mothe-?

-Then he remembered that no one knew of his mother's death.

Wonwoo closed his eyes and sighed. He guessed it was about time people found out that he was all alone up here. 

He abandoned the watering can, grabbed Sparkles, who proceeded to climb onto his shoulder, and ran inside to answer the door.

Whoever was on the other side of that door was now yelling and pounding at the same time, "Please Mistress Jeon! My son is dying!"

Wonwoo felt himself go pale as he swung the door open from the inside, now looking straight into the eyes of Mr. Kim.

Mr. Kim was a tall, well-muscled man, probably in his late 40s. He had very-dark-brown-that-could-be-called-black, wavy hair that was shoulder length and small, circular glasses. Him, his wife and his children owned a large orchard near the hill Wonwoo lived on. They mainly grew apples, but they'd try for the odd lemon.

Wonwoo never liked the Kims. His mother had always been friends with them, inviting them over to the cottage occasionally. They were usually the ones who asked for favors, but they'd never give Wonwoo and his mother anything in return. That irked Wonwoo. Also the fact that they had about 14 children. There was always at least one that needed something, or that was "dying".

But there was something in Mr. Kim's eyes that said he wasn't exaggerating.

Of course, when Mr. Kim laid eyes on Wonwoo, his expression changed drastically from slightly forlorn pleading to full-on terror. Wonwoo never answered the door unless his mother was away, and even then he didn't do it that often.

"Little Wonwoo! Where is your mother? My son is going to die!" He said, sweat from his brow landing on Wonwoo's face as he grabbed Wonwoo's shoulders and shook them, knocking Sparkles off. She hissed at him as a cat would and sat on the floor by Wonwoo's feet.

Wonwoo forcefully removed Mr. Kim's hands and grabbed the rabbit. Wonwoo filled with an icy anger at Mr. Kim's lack of respect for him. He shot Mr. Kim a glare that could get rid of global warming, "With all due respect Mr. Kim. I have no intention of helping someone who will shake me by the shoulders and address me like a daft child. May I remind you that I am nineteen-years old, fully intellectual and have every right to turn you into a bullfrog right here, right now?" 

Mr. Kim froze, staring at him in silence, "I just- I- I'm sorry- er- sir. It's just my little boy is dying. I- I need your mother to help u-us."

Wonwoo smiled in his mind at Mr. Kim's fear, enjoying himself greatly now. He squinted, "My mother is not able to help you. But I can. Take me to him and I'll see what I need to do."

Mr. Kim glanced warily between Wonwoo and Sparkles. But at this point he was out of options, "Er, fine Wo- I mean, sir."

Wonwoo actually smiled now. He set down Sparkles, "Okay, I'll probably be back to make a potion. If you could make toast around midnight if I'm not back that'd be brilliant. Try to keep the deer out of the garden and don't eat any of the herbs!"

"Hmph, alright." She said. Wonwoo understood it, but all Mr. Kim would have heard was the rabbit slightly chittering in response before hopping away.

Wonwoo stepped outside and shut the door behind him. He looked back at Mr. Kim, still smiling, "Lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

Wonwoo ran, following the farmer down the hill and into the valley below. They didn't have to go too far, only past the forestation between the witch's cottage and Mr. Kim's residence. They got to the surprisingly small townhouse in record time. Mr. Kim led Wonwoo inside, closing the door behind them.

Wonwoo was greeted by the extremely hot and stiff air of the home, filled with the aroma of spices, old books and fresh apples. The front room was sparsely furnished, one table, two wooden chairs, a vase and a few bookcases. It would normally have a cozy atmosphere, he thought, but you could feel the tension radiating in the house like the heat in an oven.

Mrs. Kim ran into the front room from what Wonwoo assumed was the kitchen, but he didn't know the layout of the house.

"Oh dear, where's Mistress Jeon? I thought you had gone to fetch her not the boy!" She wailed, cupping her face in her hands.

"The bo- er- Wonwoo here said she couldn't help us, but he could, don't worry." Mr. Kim said, trying to comfort his wife.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," She said, rubbing her eyes, "Well you better come quickly then Wonwoo, he's only getting worse." 

Wonwoo nodded as the woman took his hand and led him upstairs. They went through a door and were now in what seemed to be a small child's bedroom. Wonwoo glanced over at the bed to see a boy, probably about seven, lying stiff as a board. All color had gone from his skin, except the blue veins pulsing beneath it. Wonwoo walked over and kneeled by the bed, "How did he get like this?"

"He'd gone in the woods one day with the others to try and hunt some deer. Mingyu said they were being very careful, but he said something happened and he just started screaming and fell on the ground unconscious. They carried him home but he's been out cold for a few hours, I've tried everything I can but nothing is working." Mrs. Kim said, not even trying to hide the despair in her voice.

"You said there were others with him? Can I talk to one of them?" He asked. He was slightly pissed off that he had to get more useless children involved, but finding out what happened would be the only way he could heal this child.

"Of course, I'll get Mingyu. MINGYU!" She called, glad that there was something she could do. There were heavy footsteps thundering up the staircase, causing it to squeak. The door swung open and in the doorframe stood Mingyu.

Hot diggity damn, thought Wonwoo, You're not a useless child at all. 

Indeed he wasn't. Mingyu was a young man, looks quite similar to those of his father's. Deep chocolatey brown eyes, healthily tanned skin, waved, short brown hair and a tall but lean body. Quite a lot taller than Wonwoo. Quite a lot more handsome too. His muscles were defined, but not oversized. There was barely a hair on his body, besides his head. And he had this positive energy about him, even in a time like this.

"Yes mom?" Asked Mingyu. Wonwoo mentally noted that Mingyu's voice was higher than his own, but not by much.

"Er," Mrs. Kim looked expectantly over at Wonwoo.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened in the woods?" Asked Wonwoo, trying very hard to look Mingyu in the eyes and not start drooling due to how hot he was.

"I swear he were just in the woods looking for deer! We were pretty deep in the woods on a moss patch. We had been trying to follow the deer's tracks when he fell over and started screaming. He was curled up in a ball when he went unconscious. After that we just carried him home. I don't know anything else!"

"In a ball..." Said Wonwoo, deep in thought, "Hmmm..." Wonwoo scooted over to the far end of the bed and grabbed the boy's foot. The two Kims watched him in silence.

"Ahh... I see the problem..." He said, looking at the boy's ankle, "See here? It's a viper bite, must have been a fast-acting one. But the only venom that would act that fast is one that woul-" Wonwoo froze in terror, glancing up at the boy's face.

Wonwoo frantically checked his pulse, practically stabbing the boy's neck with his slim fingers, hoping something was still there.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Asked his mother, who was now more panic-stricken than Wonwoo.

"The snake bite could kill a grown adult in a matter of half an hour. A child couldn't survive it." 

Mrs. Kim stared. Still comprehending what he had just said, "H-he's gone?"

Wonwoo stared back at Mrs. Kim, the room now coldly silent until,

"Mingyu!" Yelled Wonwoo, looking back over at him. Mingyu looked like he had just encountered a wild tiger, his hand clutched over his chest, his skin almost as pale as Wonwoo's naturally was, "Can you fill the largest metal bucket or pot you own, fill it with water and bring it to a boil?"

"Uhm- y-yeah, hold on," Said Mingyu, running out of the room.

"Why do you need water if he's..." Mrs. Kim trailed off, her voice small and broken.

"I'm going to try to bring him back to life." Said Wonwoo, standing up, "I need to get some things from my moth- er- my cottage. I'll be right back. Don't touch the body until I'm back, just make sure that the water gets to a strong boil." Mrs. Kim nodded, watching Wonwoo's figure dash out the door.

Before Wonwoo could think, he was back at the cottage, and confronted by a certain black rabbit on the doorstep, "What happened? Did you save the kid?" Asked Sparkles.

"No. I need herbs, quickly." Said Wonwoo, grabbing a potions book and flicking through it. He read the recipes for a Purifying potion, a Regenerating potion, and a Heating potion.

He knew his mother had to do this once before. When Wonwoo was four, he had eaten a poisonous herb his mother had thrown away. But Wonwoo was only dead for about ten minutes before his mother made this potion. However, Wonwoo was better at potion-making.

He knew that mixing together a Regenerating potion and a Purifying potion would make one of the most powerful potions for removing toxins you could find. His mother told him that, its what she used on him. Adding the Heating potion would heat the body back up to livable condition. And adding a few extra herbs were risky, but Wonwoo knew how they acted with the other ones. He'd never made it before, but if everything went right then this potion would be strong enough to wake a graveyard.

"Alright, that's everything." Said Wonwoo, holding a huge bouquet of fresh and dried herbs, "I'll be back in a bit Sparkles!" He called as he left through the front door.

"Make me proud!" She called after him.

He smiled, looking back at her, "I will!"


	3. Chapter 3

He ran as quickly as he could without dropping anything. When he got to the house Mrs. Kim was sitting on the porch, waiting for him. She stood up quickly when she saw him, "The water is in the kitchen." She said, looking thoroughly relieved that he was here. Wonwoo nodded, "Could you show me where that would be?" "Yes." Said Mrs. Kim as she led him inside.

She was unnaturally calm now, Wonwoo noticed, as though every emotion had been let out of her body. She brought Wonwoo into the kitchen where Mingyu was watching a pot of water boil in the fireplace. The pot was a bit smaller than his cauldron at home, but it was useable, "The water is boiling sir." Said Mingyu when Wonwoo had walked in.

Wonwoo smiled a tiny bit, "You can call me Wonwoo, and thank you." He said. Mingyu moved out of the way and let Wonwoo have access to the fireplace. Wonwoo got to work.

For Wonwoo, it wasn't very difficult to make potions. The talent came naturally to him. To him it was just a matter of knowing what to do when, or what to add when. There were no defined lines to what any particular potion could do. You could make a Freezing potion that also made you sprout feathers. Recipes for potions are just the basic formulas for making certain powers. That's why adding more ingredients together, or mixing different potions together, is risky. But he could tell everything was going to mix together alright. Potion-making and gardening were two of the only things Wonwoo was good at. That and cooking pheasant, but at this moment that wasn't exactly useful.

About half an hour of watching, stirring and muttering later and the potion was done. And he had a full gallon of it. The potion cooked fairly quickly and it actually cooked down a lot. But there was enough. And everything seemed to have gone perfectly. Mrs. Kim had gone upstairs to be with the little boy, but Mingyu had stayed the whole time, sitting at the kitchen table, watching Wonwoo work his magic.

"So you're the witch's son?" Asked Mingyu, as Wonwoo was pouring some of the potion out of the pot and into one of the Kims' spare canning jars.

"That's right. I'm assuming you're Mr. Kim's son?" Asked Wonwoo, not taking his eyes off of his potion, he fanned it with his hand. It needed to cool for a bit before anyone could drink it.

"Yes, I tend the orchards. I'm their oldest son." Said Mingyu, "I'm eighteen."

Wow, he's not that much younger than I am, Thought Wonwoo, "Oh, I'm nineteen." He said, still fanning the potion. Mingyu smiled and nodded, "That's cool. You live in the cottage on the hill right? Must be lonely up there."

"Yes. Especially after my mother died."

The atmosphere in the room tensed up considerably 

"The... The witch died?" Asked Mingyu softly, "I... I had no idea."

There was a silence.

Wonwoo frowned, putting the potion down and folding his hands in his lap. He closed his eyes to hide the fact he was about to cry, "No one knows." He whispered shakily, "N-no one has visited the cottage for almost three weeks now. No one cared to check everything was okay. I've been alone for awhile now." 

Mingyu exhaled deeply, getting up off his chair and sitting next to Wonwoo on the floor. Wonwoo made a choked noise, trying not to cry. But tears were already streaming down his face. He held his face in his hands, trying to get a grip on himself. Mingyu placed a reassuring hand on his back, "I'm sorry." He said, looking at the crying Wonwoo with sympathy, concern lacing his voice.

Wonwoo had never cried because of his mother's death before. But all of a sudden he felt it. Hearing someone else besides himself realize the death made it all seem more real. He wanted more than anything to lean into Mingyu's touch and be held as the barrier in his mind broke. But he couldn't, he had to take care of business. In other words, his dead brother.

Wonwoo sniffed, "I-I guess I should go fix your brother now shouldn't I?"

Mingyu was about to object, but before he could Wonwoo had already gotten up, grabbed the jar, and was headed up the stairs. Mingyu huffed and followed after him.

Wonwoo knocked softly on the door to the boy's bedroom and went in. Mrs. Kim jumped a but when she heard him come in, but then looked relieved, "Did everything work?" She asked Wonwoo.

"As far as I can tell. The only sure-fire way to make sure is to give it to him though, and see if he livens up a bit." He said, adding the last half of that sentence as a morbidly playful afterthought. Mrs. Kim however, had a slightly panicked look on her face,

"Couldn't we test it to see though? I- I don't-" She stuttered, not wanting to give away to Wonwoo exactly how little faith she had in this working. Wonwoo gave her a cold looking squint, "No." He said simply, "It has to be drunk by him. Now." Wonwoo felt under control now, the insanely tense situation at hand blocked out all the grief he was feeling a few minutes ago. Also the giggly feeling that was forming in the back of his head because Mingyu was looking at him from the doorway.

Wonwoo walked over to sit cross-legged on the floor beside the boy's low bed, his hand which was holding the glass jar was shaking. He couldn't help but think this may not work, and that he put the Kims through a roller-coaster of emotions. He gulped before looking Mrs. Kim in the eye, "I- I just want you to be... mentally prepared, in case this d-doesn't work." He stuttered.

Mrs. Kim smiled weakly, the first sign of affection she had shown him since they met, "Just do what you can. You've tried at least." She said, as though he had already failed them even though he hasn't done anything yet. Wonwoo's little self-esteem dropped out of existence at her tone of pure poison, disappointment, and hollow grief. However, Mingyu cleared his throat, looking quite agitated, yet serious, "You can do it Wonwoo, it'll be great."

And with that comment, Wonwoo's self-esteem burst back to life like gasoline catching fire.

He tried to hide a grin and nodded, turning his attention back to the boy. He set the potion down and sat the boy up, his back against the headboard. Wonwoo grabbed the potion again, tilting the boy's head back, the boy's neck ice cold in his hand. He shivered slightly before pouring the potion down the boy's throat. There was a dead silence, but then,

A bright red, almost cherry color rose in the boy's face, spreading down his chin, onto his neck and collarbones. After about thirty seconds, the boy's skin a boiling hot red color. Wonwoo started feeling a pulse under the had that was holding his neck; the pulse accelerated until it was pounding against his fingers. He suddenly felt the boy's neck muscles tense up under his hand as the boy grabbed Wonwoo's wrist, his eyes bolting open. He stared at Wonwoo with slight terror before Mrs. Kim shoved Wonwoo out of the way as she went to hug and kiss her newly-risen son.

"You're okay! You're alive! Oh, my baby! Are you okay? Oh my gosh you're alive!" She sobbed, holding her son as close as possible.

He boy gently pushed his mother off of him. He looked very confused and dazed, "Where am I? What happened? Why am I wearing my hunting clothes? Where's dad?" He asked.

Mrs. Kim was about to say something, but Wonwoo interrupted her, "You're okay and you're safe. But right now you need to tell me something very important." Said Wonwoo, staring the boy in the eye. The boy looked slightly scared but nodded anyways. Wonwoo smiled encouragingly, or what he thought would encourage the boy, "Good. Now, what was the last thing you remember?"

The boy looked at Mingyu blankly, his mind still waking up, "I... I remember... Eating eggs? With toast? And my dad saying that he was going to go somewhere... I think I was going to ask him where... Oh, I think I did. He was going to the market... I asked him if he could get some blueberries there..." He trailed off, still thinking hard, "That's all. But what happened? Did I fall asleep?"

Wonwoo looked questionably at Mrs. Kim, who was now looking very pale. She glanced at Wonwoo then closed her eyes, "That was breakfast. Two days ago." She said faintly.

Wonwoo nodded, "That's not bad! His memory is almost intact!" It was then that it hit Wonwoo that he just saved a life. Or created one. He smiled widey at Mingyu, "If you two just tell him what happened in the last two days then everything will be fine!" Mingyu returned the smile. But Wonwoo couldn't predict what Mrs. Kim was about to do.

"Out." She said.

"What?" Asked Wonwoo

"Get out! You've done your job now can't you just leave and let my son get some air?"

"Wait, two days?" The boy chimed in half-heartedly

"Mom! You can't just chuck him out of our house!" Exclaimed the outraged voice of Mingyu.

"What do you mean 'the last two days'?"

"Yes I can and I will! We can't have him here anymore! We need to be here for your brother an no one else!"

"But Mom! He's all alo-!"

There was the sound of glass shattering. Mrs. Kim threw the glass jar that held the potion against the wall.

Silence.

"Get. Out. Of. My. House."

Wonwoo ran. He ran out the door. Out the house. And away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY BUT LIKE YOU GUYS ARE THE MOST SWEET AND SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE EVER I'VE HAD THIS FANFIC UP FOR LIKE, WHAT, 2 DAYS AND HAVE GOTTEN MORE SUPPORT THEN I'VE HAD IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS SO LIKE CAN YOU GUYS BE ANY MORE AWESOME I LOVE YOU


	4. Chapter 4

Two days later.

Wonwoo was at home, mindlessly flicking through his potions cookbook. He couldn't concentrate on anything besides what had happened.

He guessed he had been successful, but somehow he thought success would also mean that he got paid and earned the respect from the Kim's. But it had been, indeed, two days. He hadn't heard from them.

But there was also something else on his mind. Mingyu. Wonwoo couldn't stop thinking about him. There was something so... Irresistible about him. Wonwoo was practically obsessed. His deep brown eyes, his soft looking hair, his muscular arms, Wonwoo could almost feel those strong arms slamming Wonwoo up against the wall of his cottage, pining his arms above his head as he-

"Wonwoo!"

Wonwoo practically jumped out of his skin as he awoke from his fantasy-like state, dropping his potions book. He looked over in the direction of the voice and saw Sparkles, resting on the table he was sitting at, "Wonwoo, you haven't been yourself for the last 48 hours. What happened that went so wrong at the Kim's house? Did the boy die?"

Wonwoo rubbed his eyes, "No, the boy didn't die. I saved him. But his mom kicked me out and his brother..." He trailed off.

"What about the brother? Did he interfere?" Asked Sparkles, with the innocent curiosity only a rabbit could achieve. Wonwoo stated at the rabbit. How do you explain gayness to an animal?

"You could say that," Wonwoo said evasively.

Sparkles nuzzled up against Wonwoo's hand, "Come on buddy, you can tell me what happened. Did he eat your herbs? Because I know you get all grumpy when I do that." Said the rabbit, "I'm your only friend here so might as well spill it."

Wonwoo stuttered, "Well, uhm, he makes me feel weird." He said. He was not used to explaining his feelings to a rabbit. Or anyone for that matter. 

"Like?" Prompted the rabbit.

"Er, you know the blacksmith and the prince right?"

"Oh yes, Seungcheol and Prince Jeonghan. Seungcheol's burrow is quite hot and noisy. I've been there. It has nice clover though."

"Well, you know how Prince Jeonghan is getting a suit of armor made for him and he has to come in the middle of the nights for fittings?"

"Yes?"

"Well. It's kind of like that."

"The brother is making you a suit of armor?" Asked the rabbit.

"No! I mean, Seungcheol wasn't making a suit of armor, it was-"

"Then what was the prince so excited and screaming about then?" Asked the rabbit in alarm.

This was not going well for Wonwoo.

"No, I, um, they were, um... Mating."

The rabbit looked scandalized.

"I thought he was just happy about his armor! I overheard him saying how big it was, that it might not even fit! I don't know what armor goes in your mouth though..."

"Uhm..." Wonwoo didn't particularly know how to respond to that statement.

Then it dawned on the rabbit, it began to look more horrified than it already was, "You mated with the farmer's son?!" Exclaimed the rabbit, "Why didn't you tell me?! When are we expecting the babies?! What if you went into labor early?! What would you have done then?!"

Wonwoo blushed, "No! I did not mate with Mingyu!" He said haughtily, "I just- it just crossed my mind!"

Sparkles blinked at him, a small cheeky smile appearing on its face, "You're in heat."

"What?"

"You're in heat! Gosh, that's why you've been acting up! I didn't know humans had a mating season though." Said Sparkles, "Facinating."

Wonwoo blushed even brighter red, "I'm not in heat either, I'm not a rabbit!" He said, "I just... like Mingyu." 

If a rabbit could smirk, Sparkles was smirking, "Mhmm, then why is he coming up to visit you?"

"What-?" But before he could ask, there was a soft knocking at the door.

"Have a nice time mating, buddy!" Said the rabbit cheerfully before scurrying out into the garden.

Wonwoo stared at the back door and sighed, "Thanks."

Wonwoo got up to answer the door. He opened the door to find a slightly sweaty and very apprehensive Mingyu on his doorstep, holding a barrel-full of apples. Mingyu smiled when he saw Wonwoo, "Hey, can I come in? This is quite heavy." Wonwoo nodded and stood aside to let Mingyu in.

Mingyu set the barrel of apples by the kitchen table Wonwoo was just sitting at. Mingyu gazed up at the many dried herbs strung along the ceiling, "So this is your place, I always wanted to come inside here. But Dad said the witch didn't want village kids inside." He looked over at Wonwoo, "This place smells amazing though."

Wonwoo was flabbergasted. Not only did Mingyu come all the way over to his cottage, but he also did so alone, with a barrel of apples and saying that the cottage smelled nice. Mingyu liked the smell of his cottage! Wonwoo could barely contain himself, "T-thank you. Do you want to s-sit down?" He asked softly.

Mingyu nodded, "I'd actually quite like that." Said Mingyu, sitting down on a chair next to the barrel of apples, "I've never had to lug a barrel uphill before."

"Neither have I." Said Wonwoo, walking over and sitting next to Mingyu, "I don't mean to be rude but what are you doing here?"

Mingyu looked away, feeling awkward, "Well, um, I wanted to come here to thank you. Mom seems to think its irregular to thank or pay a witch but I wanted you to have some of our apples, since we were mean to you.

Wonwoo blinked and looked over at the barrel of apples. Those were all for him! Little did Mingyu know that apples were one of the best objects to practice magic on. Wonwoo could practice so much magic, it was heaven. And afterward he could make an apple pie that made you sprout bat wings.

"Th-hank you so much. That's really nice of you." He picked one up and looked at it. It looked bigger and shinier than the ones he remembered his mother buying from them.

"I picked the best ones." Said Mingyu, "I thought you'd like them. They won't go bad for quite awhile, I don't think any will rot before you have the chance to finish them all."

"Oh that's not a problem, I can practice magic on them. Apples are good for that. If you've ever heard any stories involving poisoned apples, let me tell you that that's one of the easiest tricks in the book." Noted Wonwoo enthusiastically. Mingyu looked in awe,

"Really? That's so cool! Can you show me a magic trick with one?" He asked. 

Wonwoo grinned and nodded, grabbing a butter knife. Wonwoo could use a wooden stick as a wand, but he found metals to be more effective.

He pointed the tip of the dull knife so it was almost touching the apple. He then said some magic words, which to Mingyu sounded like "dasuwaiiaurreeuuwprohnauunsehnndes". But, it made perfect sense to Wonwoo. He had been trying to master these spells most of his childhood. He barely had them down now, when he was 19.

The apple started vibrating. Mingyu watched in intense fascination and slight horror as the apple started glowing, vibrating even harder has time went on. The apple was about to vibrate itself off the table before Wonwoo caught and held it still as its glow started to change color. First, of course, red. Then blue, green, purple, pink, turquoise. So when Wonwoo looked up Mingyu's shocked face lit up with the colors of the rainbow.

"Like it?" Asked Wonwoo.

Mingyu nodded, completely transfixed on the apple, "It's so strange..."

 

The apple's light started to fade away. It's vibrations dying down as it stopped shaking Wonwoo's hands with it, "It's not too weird if you do it." He said with a slight smile. 

"I bet." Said Mingyu, still staring at the apple. Wonwoo wished Mingyu stared at him with that intensity. It was freaking sexy and Wonwoo almost wanted to throw the apple off the table so Mingyu would look at him.

There was an awkward silence. Suddenly Mingyu looked up away from the apple and at Wonwoo inquisitively. Wonwoo could tell there was a question on the tip of his tongue. People always had that expression when he did some magic for them that they didn't understand.

"Hey, um, can I ask you something kinda rude?" Asked Mingyu a bit nervously.

"Of course." Said Wonwoo, wondering what it was that he wanted to ask.

"Are you wicked?" He asked quickly, "I mean, you're really sweet but I mean, you don't do e-evil magic do you? Like to trick people or hurt them?"

Wonwoo's mind went blank for a second. But then immediately thought of a love potion that would trick Mingyu, also the fact that Mingyu just said that he was sweet are you kidding?! Wonwoo was probably the least sweet person in the universe, considering he also just thought of that love potion that could trick Mingyu and he'd never know it. Of course he'd never do that, but... It was an option.

"Well... There are definitely evil things I am capable of doing. But my mother always told me that our goal is to help people, not harm them. And to be honest I'd never want to hurt someone. It felt bad enough when I intruded on your families business by being there when things were so tender and fragile. That was my fault." 

Mingyu looked relieved, but also angry when Wonwoo talked about his family, "My mother is an emotional-" He swore, "I don't even want to stay there much anymore because of how she's treated people. She's very traditional. She won't take people like you seriously, or act like you're even another human." He huffed, sitting back more in his seat.

"Well Mingyu, you're always welcome here if things get a bit... funny at home." Said Wonwoo.

Mingyu looked a bit shocked, but very happy. He gave Wonwoo a grin that could light up the village, "Really? You mean that?"

"Of course I do. I'm all alone up here, if anything you'd keep me from becoming a recluse." Wonwoo chuckled. Gosh, I could pounce on this boy right here, right now, Thought Wonwoo, he's so perfect just, ugh.

Mingyu stood up, looking at the door, "Thank you so much Won. I-I probably have to go though, my parents don't know I'm here. Uhm, hug?" He asked, opening his arms to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo froze for a moment before getting up. He almost flung himself into Mingyu's arms. Mingyu smelled like apple juice and the outdoors. Wonwoo fit inside Mingyu's arms seamlessly. Mingyu held him tightly, Wonwoo could feel the warmth of the Mingyu's arms and the sadly platonic affection seeping through his actions. Mingyu pulled away all too soon for Wonwoo's liking. The hug only lasted for a fraction of a second, but Wonwoo would feel it for weeks.

"Bye Wonwoo, thank you!" Said Mingyu heading out the door merrily.

"Thank you Mingyu!" Said Wonwoo, mirroring the happiness in Mingyu's tone. 

Wonwoo shut the door behind Mingyu, leaning against it. He sighed deeply.

So this is what happiness felt like. Wonwoo hadn't felt it in far too long.


	5. Chapter 5

A week later

Wonwoo still felt it. The weird thing called happiness. It felt kind of foreign after his mother had died, but he noticed something strange since this started.

He could do more magic. Lots of it. Sometimes he'd just be buttering some toast, he'd start thinking about Mingyu and the end of the knife would have pink sparks fly out of it. It made the toast singed, but it oddly tasted more like apples afterwards.

And the apples, oh the apples. They helped him so much. He practiced his rapidly improving magic on them all the time. He was kept very busy with them. There was even one that sprouted humming bird wings and a beak, Wonwoo now had it in a cage hanging from the rafters that held the herbs. He named the bird-apple hybrid Bernard, and he seemed to like drinking the nectar of local flowers, so Wonwoo let him forage for them daily. Bernard would always come buzzing back excitedly, but considering he didn't have eyes, he would bump into a lot of trees. But Wonwoo found him adorable so he was added to his and Sparkles' little family.

But Wonwoo stil daydreamed of the thought of Mingyu joining their little family. The daydream made him a bit saddened though. Mingyu hadn't visited since he brought the apples. Wonwoo starting thinking Mingyu would've forgotten about him. Which didn't really upset him. He knew he couldn't ask so much of Mingyu, he was a busy boy and didn't have time to laze around with Wonwoo. But, he guessed he was selfish in that way, he needed to see Mingyu again. To look into his deep brown eyes, to smell his irreplaceable scent of the orchards, to feel his strong arms wrapping around him and grasping at the back of his loose black robes.

Wonwoo dreamed more. He could almost visualize Mingyu entirely. The small sheen of sweat on his face, the joyful, sugary smile placed on his lips. And gosh, the thoughts Wonwoo was having about those lips were unholy, to say the least. Where would they go? Where would they feel best? He could almost feel them, trailing down his neck, his collarbones, his jaw. His hands on Wonwoo's hips, Wonwoo sighed slightly at the thought, the thought of Mingyu ravishing him... it was extraordinary. But who knows? Maybe Mingyu would want to bottom. To feel Wonwoo's weight on top of him, letting Wonwoo do things to him that we're hard to imagine... Speaking of hard-,

Wonwoo woke himself up with a moan, finding himself on his bed in the cottage. Morning sun blazing through the gaps in his curtains, the sounds of Bernard buzzing energetically from his cage in the next room and Sparkles' light, peaceful breathing from under his nightstand, sleeping soundly.

"Wet dream." He whispered to himself, "Just a wet dream."

Well now, Wonwoo was conscious, but in quite an embarrassing state. He was blushing as he glanced around the room. He got up off his bed, quietly as not to disturb Sparkles. Bernard started buzzing furiously as Wonwoo entered the room, banging against the sides of his cage.

Wonwoo dashed over to him, placing a flower from the vase he had on the table in Bernard's cage. Bernard calmed down as he joyously slurped the nectar from the newly moved flower. When Wonwoo thought he was most occupied, Wonwoo went out through the back door.

He'd never let Sparkles catch him doing this, the poor rabbit would never see him the same way. But luckily they had an outhouse, it was barely used since his mother expanded the house to include a bathroom. But it seemed as Wonwoo got older, more horny he may add, he used the outhouse more. For the exact same purpose he was using it for now. So they wouldn't hear him.

Wonwoo wouldn't exactly say he's loud, but he also wouldn't say he didn't moan Mingyu's name in that outhouse either.

When Wonwoo went back in the house, not a care in the world besides a slight shame in masturbating to Mingyu, he saw Sparkles waddling sleepily into the room and Bernard- he seemed to be sleeping. It's hard to tell with someone that doesn't have eyes.

"M-morning." Said Sparkles, hopping up onto the kitchen table, hoping to receive a pat between the ears. Considering the slightly sticky state of his right hand, Wonwoo patted the rabbit with his left, making a beeline for the sink, "Morning." He said.

"Why were you in the garden so early, did you see a deer?" Asked Sparkles, but being the overly excited rabbit she was, she jumped to a much more interesting conclusion, "Wait! Are you having morning sickness?! Does that mean you're having your babies soon?! Do I need to get you some spiritually medicinal birthing herbs to give you good luck?!"

Wonwoo felt himself blushing again. Partly because he realized he never told Sparkles what happened during Mingyu's visit, partly because Sparkles thought he had the physical ability to birth Mingyu's child, "Sparkles, calm down, I'm not having any kids. Rest assured I didn't mate with Mingyu."

Sparkles huffed angrily, "Well when are you? You need to get your man before mating season is over y'know."

"Well, I'm not sure if its..." Wonwoo paused, trying to find some phrasing that Sparkles would understand, "I-I'm not sure if its right- spiritually- to mate with Mingyu."

"You should go to Priest Jisoo, he does stuff with spirituality besides herbs right?"

Oh no, once again, not remotely what Wonwoo meant.

"No, no. I meant- I mean- I'm not sure if its-" he stuttered.

"Wonwoo, you don't have time to be unsure! You need to figure out your problems before mating season is over! Go talk to the priest and get your spirituality out of the way so you can mate with Mingyu!"

There was half-hearted buzzing coming from Bernard, slowly waking up from his unrecognizable slumber. And Wonwoo knew that he'd never hear the end of this from Sparkles if he didn't go see Priest Jisoo. Or at least pretend to.

"Fine, you weirdo. But really there's no rush." He said coldly.

"Yes, there is! I need little nieces and nephews! Go!" 

"I'm changing first." Wonwoo growled, falling into a bad mood. He went into his room and put on one of his particularly witch-like robes. He went back into the main room, taking two apples and his butter knife and putting them in his pockets. He unlocked Bernard's cage and let him fly free, "Make sure if I'm not back by five that Bernard comes back and that the plants are watered. And-"

"-Okay, okay! You're such a worry-wart, I'll get it done!" Said Sparkles with a bit of a hiss.

Wonwoo glared coldly at his pet rabbit before walking out the front door and slamming it behind him. He was glad that he didn't need to see her the rest of the day.

But, the thing was, what exactly was he going to do all day?


	6. Chapter 6

Wonwoo found himself drifting into town. He had no idea where he was gonna go, but anywhere was better than the cottage with Sparkles' attitude. It was a colder day, so Wonwoo found himself buttoning up his cloak higher than he usually would and wishing he had a good Heating potion with some tea.

But all his herbs were at the cottage. And there was no going back now.

He was in the middle of the village. Most people were at Priest Jisoo's church, but Wonwoo really didn't feel like sitting through mass. Jisoo had long accepted his and his mother's witchcraft after they saved his pet hamster from drowning using their magic. He said it was not so much evil witchcraft, but more a gift from God. Which Wonwoo didn't exactly believe but hey, he wouldn't get shunned for it.

There were still some people bustling around outside however. Villagers going about their routine, barely taking notice of Wonwoo. Even though Wonwoo barely ever went into the village and seeing him down here was a bit of a strange sight. But he was just part of the large clockwork that was the village.

"Sir!" Said a slightly high-pitched voice behind him. Wonwoo turned to see a boy, not too much younger than him even though he was a fair amount shorter, fumbling with the latch on his satchel.

"I have letter for you sir, I was going to deliver it to your house but since you're here you can just take it." The kid said brightly, handing Wonwoo a thin object covered in parchment.

"Thanks kid. What's your name? I don't think I've seen you before." Asked Wonwoo conversationally.

"Oh, my name is Chan sir, I'm the courier." Said Courier Chan, "I deliver anything needed to get from one place to another. It actually pays me well, I can afford to get treats from the bakery for me and my siblings." He beamed at Wonwoo, his pride in his work very apparent.

"Well that's wonderful Chan, always good to start at a young age."

"Yep! But sir, I need to get going. I want to get my route done before noon." Said Courier Chan, "It was nice to meet you though!"

"Nice to meet you too, make sure if you or your siblings ever get sick just call on me. I do a lot of healing." Said Wonwoo. A little self-promotion never hurt.

"Will do sir!" Said Courier Chan as he sped off.

Wonwoo looked back at the boy's retreating figure, wondering if all the villagers were this sweet. But then he remembered Mingyu's family, making his mood drop a little bit. He pushed the sound of Mrs. Kim's poisonous tone out of his mind as he walked on.

He decided to do his groceries, getting some bread, milk and other necessities. Chatting with some of the traders, particularly a foreign one named Junhui, who offered him some strange leather objects and was selling large amounts of blood and non-garlic related spices. Wonwoo decided to get away as soon as possible. He suspected he was a vampire, and while vampires and witches can get along very well, Wonwoo knew they were tricky creatures. He didn't want to get on one's bad-side, or get tricked into buying something worthless.

He stepped out of the market, glancing around at the bustling cobbled road in front of him. It was warming up, but it was still cold outside. He remembered there was an inn nearby, he could get something warm to drink. He crossed the street and stood outside the inn, taking in the smell of the drinks mingled with the outside greenery. He sighed happily before walking inside.

He was immediately confronted with a warm gust of air, of which smelled of bread, cinnamon and smoke from the fireplace. The sound of the few patrons of this inn was little more than a light babble. He glanced around to see a jolly, loud character behind the bar, and a charismatic character walking around serving food and socializing.

Wonwoo sat at the bar, next to a short man with a slightly angered expression. Another person with the exact opposite expression sitting beside him.

"Seungkwan, I'm telling you, I'm not going to be your bard. I don't have any stories I want to tell." Said the angry short man.

"Well, you sure are talented with a lute Jihoon. You have many a fine song and I'm sure my customers would be quite interested in hearing them." Said Seungkwan, the man behind the bar, 

"You could figure out something couldn't you?" Asked the cheerful man next to Jihoon.

Jihoon set his glass on the wooden countertop with a thump, glaring slightly at Seungkwan, "I'm not doing it. And Soonyoung, you know I have a steady source of income already and I don't need more on my plate."

Soonyoung shrugged and Bartender Seungkwan turned away from Jihoon with an exasperated huff. He looked at Wonwoo and gave a warm-looking smile,

"Would you look at that, it's the witch's son. How are you doing? Would you like something to drink?" He asked, still warm and open with his words.

"Uhm, do you have hot chocolate?" 

"Indeed we do, would you like some biscuits with it?"

"Yes please."

Seungkwan nodded. He shifted his attention to the man serving people who sat at tables rather than the bar, 

"SEOKMIN!"

Seokmin glanced up from the people he was talking to and rushed over to the bar, "Yes Seungkwan?" 

"Can you actually be useful and get a mug of hot chocolate and some vanilla biscuits from the kitchen?"

Seokmin squinted slightly at the insult and nodded, "I guess, but I am being useful, I'm keeping the people happy."

"Sure you are." Said Soonyoung in a jokingly sarcastic voice. Seokmin simply walked away into the kitchen, dodging Seungkwan's attitude.

"I swear, running an inn with that man can drive me mad." Said Seungkwan, shaking his head and then looking at Wonwoo, "but anyway, what brings you to this neck of the woods? Barely ever see the witches in the village."

Wonwoo didn't want to admit that he was kicked out of his own home by his own pet rabbit, "I needed to get some groceries done. But gosh, it's cold outside isn't it?" He said, steering the conversation away from his lame excuse to be in the village. Seungkwan nodded, "It really is. It would have been one of my busier days if we still could sell alcohol."

Ever since Jisoo became priest of the village, he encouraged the villagers to stop drinking alcohol, saying it was not good for your soul. Eventually, after no one listened, he joined forces with Prince Jeonghan to put down a strict ban on alcohol, putting bartenders like Seungkwan and Seokmin, and the some of the traders out of business or greatly decreased their profits. They installed wells that were clean and open to the public across the village, all of them with shiny plaques engraved with the words "Drink Water, not Alcohol."

Some times Wonwoo and his mother would haves people asking if they could brew up some illegally. But since Wonwoo's mother was a law abiding citizen, and she and Jisoo had their "witchcraft isn't evil" agreement, she would simply turn them away. Even if it brought a profit for them.

"I miss the beer." Said Soonyoung "But I feel like Jisoo was on to something. He always seems to know a bit more than we do. He's not from the village. He's apparently been in a lot of different places. Gathered a lot of knowledge over his travels I assume."

"Still, it's not good for sales. If it weren't for that I wouldn't have to sell freaking warm milk and biscuits!" Seungkwan burst out, "No offense meant, you have fine taste in comestibles Wonwoo, but I never intended to own a place that had this sort of reputation. The inn that doesn't sell alcohol." He scoffed.

"You own a fine place Seungkwan. It's lawful." Said Wonwoo comfortingly, tapping his fingertips on the bar, "And I'm sure travelers like going to an inn knowing they aren't going to be assaulted by drunken men."

"Oh, Jihoon used to take care of them. Soon as they started being rowdy, Jihoon's lute was as dangerous as a club. One whack with that and those drunkards would be limping back to their mommies." Said Soonyoung, looking at Jihoon with admiration. Jihoon merely grunted as Seungkwan started to tell more stories about Jihoon assaulting people with musical instruments. Seokmin came back out of the room behind the bar, setting the biscuits and hot chocolate in front of Wonwoo, a cheesy grin on his face, "Seungkwan telling you guys our customers' tales of woe?" He said, wrapping an arm around Seungkwan's shoulders. Soonyoung started laughing uncontrollably, gripping onto Jihoon's shoulder. Jihoon trying to hide a smile by sipping on his drink.

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, pushing Seokmin's arm off of him. With Seungkwan's rosy face in a highly annoyed expression and Seokmin's looking as though he was gloating about making everyone laugh, Soonyoung's looking like he was about to stop breathing from laughter and Jihoon's looking as though he was mildly amused by these children's antics. The four were quite a strange sight to see together. But really, it was also apparent that they were all made to be sharing that bar. They belonged there, and it was clear Wonwoo was thinking too hard about this probably little moment in their day because he was getting all sentimental. 

He smiled as he finished his drink and biscuits, staying quiet as the four of them kept on with their banter. When he was finished he paid Seungkwan and said goodbye to the four of them. They said a cheerful goodbye, Seokmin telling him he's welcome anytime, as he stepped out into the cold outdoors. But he was warm with hot chocolate, laughter and good energy.

Gosh, he never realized how much happiness could change someone. He just socialized with people without feeling horrible. The gloom he'd had for a long time felt like it was fading. He didn't know how long this would last.

But he was willing to wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this with the intention of posting it in like 2-3 days, but like it turned out so awesome y'all got it today. Think of it as a gift, because this is definitely a longer, more interesting chapter with more lore in it. This chapter makes me so happy idk about you. I'm just in love with it and needed to post it now :)) Hope you enjoyed ♥


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lil bit of gore in this one. Just wanted to let you know in advance.

Wonwoo was still smiling when he was far from the inn. He was also at a loss as to where he wanted to go next.

He considered his options. He could go see Priest Jisoo, but he didn't know whether church was over yet. He could go see Mingyu, but Mingyu was probably working and almost anyone else from that family would reject his visit, leaving him outside the exact same way he was now. He felt the cold anger creeping into his mind, making his smile falter. What he needed to do was get away from this village and do something to take his mind off things.

He walked in the direction of his cottage. He wouldn't get there right away, but he didn't mind. It felt like it was getting colder out. It cooled him down as he past one of Jisoo's wells. He stopped for a moment to admire the stonework, running his finger between the top few stones, tracing patterns in the grooves between them. Someone must've used the well recently as the stones were icy cold with spilt water, a bit of water also at his feet. Wonwoo stood there, looking into the deep well while still tracing his fingers across the stony surface.

"Why hello handsome," said a strange voice behind him. Wonwoo whipped his head around to see the stranger.

It was the vampire, Junhui. His skin looking extra pale as the wind blew gently against it and his slightly long hair. He had a seductive smirk on his face as he stepped closer to Wonwoo, placing his other hand next to Wonwoo's on the well so their fingers were just overlapping, "I didn't think I'd get to see you again. But here we are..." He said breathily, rubbing small circles on the back of Wonwoo's hand, "My station is closed. I needed to be back home before the sun came back out. Sun is a bit problematic for me." He glanced up at the cloud-covered sky before returning his gaze to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo felt quite uncomfortable. The way Junhui was looking at him and the way his hand was lightly massaging Wonwoo's, it would've been exciting had it not been a vampire, and had it not been in public, "Yeah. The sun can be quite bright." He said lamely.

Junhui chuckled, biting his lip, "It can. Maybe we should go somewhere sheltered? I have a business proposal for you."

Wonwoo highly doubted that this 'Business proposal' would be anything Wonwoo would ever consent to, but the curiosity got the best of him. He had to ask, "What type of business proposal?" He asked semi-innocently.

Now it was the vampire's turn to look uncomfortable, "Ahem, well cutie, ever since you walked into my little station, you smelt irresistible." He said, punctuating this by breathing in deeply and closing his eyes. His mouth curled back into a smile as he continued, "And if you haven't gathered, I am a vampiric being. You smell so delicious. I was thinking I could give you a good time in exchange for a drop or two of blood?" He gave Wonwoo puppy-dog eyes as he awaited an answer.

Wonwoo had to think quickly. He wouldn't be 'cheating' on Mingyu, if he accepted. Because sadly they were not in a relationship. But then again, Wonwoo was quite inexperienced. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of an obviously experienced vampire. Although, denying a vampire blood is one of the sure-fire ways you can get an angry vampire to torment you, until you submit to their will.

And not in a sexy way either.

"Uhm, I-I could just give you some for free. It's n-not that big of a deal." Said Wonwoo, "I-If you don't mind."

Junhui frowned, "Well you're no fun." He said with a sigh, "But you seem so freaking tasty, I suppose I can just take the blood. It'd be more fun if I got to play with you first though." 

"I'm sorry." Said Wonwoo

"You will be when you feel how good my mouth will feel on your neck." Junhui stated sassily, "Where do you want to go? Or shall I do it for all the villagers to watch?" He started to smile at the thought of doing it in front of people.

"W-we could go a bit into the woods." Said Wonwoo, entirely regretting getting in this situation.

Junhui was about to give up seducing Wonwoo at this point, "Okay, fine, let's go." He said bluntly. He grabbed Wonwoo's wrist and dragged him behind a tree at the edge of the forest. He grasped Wonwoo's jaw as he inhaled Wonwoo's scent, "You're a boring one, but God, you'll taste so good. Ready?"

Wonwoo was not ready, "Yup." He lied, deeply wanting to leave.

There was a prickling sensation as Junhui lined up his teeth. Straight after, there was a blunt force followed by pain as Junhui bit into his neck. 

Wonwoo whimpered due to the pain. He felt Junhui loosen his grip on Wonwoo's jaw, moving his hand down to Wonwoo's chest as he tranquilly sucked on Wonwoo's neck. His actions became less ferocious and more like a sleepy kitten that was just fed. He pulled his teeth out of the cavities on Wonwoo's neck and lightly kissed them before pulling away.

"Holy hell, I needed that. You taste so good, oh my God." He rested his head on Wonwoo's shoulder, "Thanks cutie, that'll have me set for a week. Fresh blood is just so much better than the bagged stuff. Especially when it's as sweet as yours."

"Oh. Thank you." Wonwoo said awkwardly.

"It's a shame you wouldn't let me taste other parts of you." He looked up at Wonwoo, running his thumb against the extra blood collected on Wonwoo's bite marks and licking it off, "If you ever find yourself in my part of town again, just drop by. I'd love to do this again.

"Mhmm." Said Wonwoo, making a mental note never to go to the market again.

"I gotta get home though babe, you can never trust the sun. It was nice meeting you."

And with that, the vampire winked and quickly disappeared into the forest.

When he knew the coast was clear, Wonwoo let out a deep sigh and ran out of the forest.

Well that was eventful. Seems like a appropriate time to go home.

Wonwoo sprinted to his cottage in record speed. He burst inside, shutting the door behind him and collapsing in one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

Sparkles hopped up onto the table, giving Wonwoo a look, "You're home early."

"Yeah shut up it got really weird."

"Did you figure out your spirituality so you can go mate with Mingyu?"

"No. I mean, yes! Just not right now?" Said Wonwoo in a panic.

"Oooookayy?"

"Where's Bernard?"

"In the backyard. I was going to bring him inside but that weird, apple bird creature won't listen to me." She whined.

"Ugh, fine I'll do it." He said, raising himself out of his chair.

As soon as he got up, there was a furious banging at his front door.

Sparkles and Wonwoo looked at each other confusedly before Wonwoo opened the door.

Immediately after opening the door, his legs were assaulted by the grasp of a small, sobbing little girl. 

"Hey, hey kid. What's wrong?" He asked, very alarmed. Why would a small child, a girl that looked no older than five come to his door sobbing?

"WITCH! M-m-my bro-other got really hurt really really badly. Please fix him please, please, please!" She said, rubbing her face into Wonwoo's robe, her tears not stopping.

Wonwoo's mind was racing, "Uhm, okay I can! Can you show me where he is?" He held out his hand to the girl. The girl nodded and grabbed it, yanking him out the door.

He managed to kick the door closed behind him as the girl ran with him down into the valley below. They went into the forest separating Wonwoo's cottage from the other villagers' homes. Wonwoo was starting to doubt whether being led by a five-year-old into the woods was a reasonable idea. 

He was about to ask where they were going until the the trees broke away as they entered a large, square clearing. A vaguely familiar house stood in front of this clearing, of which was filled with fruit trees.

And the he saw.

He saw a boy, young but still older than the girl, screaming hysterically over a man. A man that was lying on the ground, completely covered with blood. An ax sitting beside him and a harshly broken tree behind them.

As they got closer, he could make out more details. The man was shaking, and letting out little cries of pain, his own blood making the grass beneath him warm and red. The ax was covered in blood as well and the boy had very small specks of blood on his clothes.

They were apon them. Wonwoo, very faint due to the sheer amount of blood pouring out of this poor man. He glanced up at the boy, his heart skipping a beat.

It was the boy he'd saved the life of. 

He furrowed his brows as he looked down at the man's face. He felt as though a shard of ice had pierced his chest as he realized.

The man was Mingyu.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR gore at the start. I'm sorry. Also a bit of angst but don't worry pal it's all good. Enjoy :))

Wonwoo immediately dropped to his knees beside Mingyu. Mingyu glanced at Wonwoo and tried to speak, but only let out a wheezing gurgle.

"It's okay Mingyu, it'll be okay." Said Wonwoo, his voice breaking. Silent tears ran down his face as he checked Mingyu's chest.

There wasn't much to check. Most of his chest was an open wound, it was clear multiple ribs were fractured or broken. Of which the damaged ribs were restraining his breathing. He almost didn't want to look at the torn muscle. How Mingyu was still alive he didn't know. He also didn't know how a small axe like the one he was using could've inflicted such a lethal wound.

"What happened?"

"The axe s-slipped and the tree fell on him. W-we moved it b-but he g-got smushed." Said the little girl crying, but paying attention to Wonwoo's motions.

Mingyu was also watching Wonwoo. His condition was critical, he was almost out of blood, no longer trying to comunicate. Wonwoo was panicking, He wasn't sure he could revive Mingyu if his life force gave away. He was thinking as fast as he could, trying to figure out a spell, an herb, anything he could find right here that could keep Mingyu alive.

He felt the butter knife he packed in the pocket of his robe starting to heat up. He gasped as he grabbed it, burning in his hand. He aimed it at Mingyu's chest, full of hope.

Nothing happened. He tried harder, trying desperately to channel any of his magic energy into the knife. All that happened was that it spit out lavender colored sparks. He cried out in frustration as his tears poured down his face.

No, he can't lose Mingyu. He can't. He can't let Mingyu die just because he's horrible with his magic. 

Wonwoo took a deep breath. He lifted Mingyu's head into his lap. Mingyu looked up at him, eyes wide pleadingly, making small wheezing noises as he tried to force air into lungs that could not expand. Wonwoo couldn't comprehend how much pain he must've been going through, but the way his body was clenched, he was trying to fight it.

Wonwoo held the tip of the knife next to Mingyu's neck. It sputtered out the same lavender sparks. The sparks sunk into Mingyu's skin, as though they had never existed.

Wonwoo let out a sob. He can't let Mingyu go. He can't. He shook the knife, more lavender sparks scattered over Mingyu's chest. Mingyu's eyes were fluttering shut, his body settling into Wonwoo's lap, the wheezing breaths fading.

"No." Said Wonwoo, "No! You can't leave me! Please Mingyu, please!"

Mingyu's eyes stayed shut.

"NO!"

Wonwoo plunged the knife into the bloodied earth beside Mingyu. There was a rumble as the grass started shifting

Bright lavender colored light broke through the deep red stained earth. Shooting up in beams at alternating times. Within seconds there was too much light, blinding Wonwoo and the two children. He could not feel anything, an intense burning sensation feeling like it was coming from within his skin.

He felt like screaming. The magical energy bundled up inside him was coming out. The sensation on his skin was almost mind-numbingly intense. All the magical energy he was never able to use, coming out of him all at once, driven by Mingyu's fading life force. He could feel his magic coursing through Mingyu, even if he could not see. He felt Mingyu becoming stronger, feeling his life regaining strength, filling the hypothetical void where Wonwoo's magic was focussing.

It felt like decades as Mingyu's life force regained its strength, pushing Wonwoo's magic out. The magic reluctant to rejoin its owner, making Wonwoo's skin crawl with the overwhelming pain.

This whole time, Wonwoo's world was the pale, burning lavender color. It was all he could see, all he could hear, and all he could feel. He couldn't tell if he was on the ground anymore, where the children were. All he could feel was his magic coursing between him and Mingyu.

He heard a whirling noise. When suddenly, it all stopped. His world turned pitch black, all his senses were turned off, like a light switch.

He slowly became conscious again. Aware there was grass beneath him, aware there was a cold, light breeze blowing against him, aware of sound.

"Witch?"

His eyes bolted open. He was sitting cross-legged, his head hung as though he fell asleep. He looked up to see the children, staring at him.

And when he looked up, the little boy gasped, and the little girl screamed.

"Yes?" Said Wonwoo, his voice sounding strange and fiery in his ears.

"Witch, your eyes," Said the little boy in a fright, "They're purple. And glowing really bright." He clenched his eyelids as he tried to withstand the light.

Wonwoo looked at the ground. The small patches of ground he was looking at seemed as though they had bright flashlights shined on them. The light moved with his eyes, as though moving the flashlights to shine wherever Wonwoo was looking. But it didn't bother him as he looked up again.

And then he realized.

Mingyu was alive.

He was sitting right there, eyes dilated, watching the scene before him. Completely whole and alive. A faint lavender aura around him.

Wonwoo felt tears welling up in his eyes as their light faded, leaving Wonwoo as his normal self. He looked up at Mingyu and grinned.

"Mingyu, you're saved!" Said Wonwoo ecstatically.

This triggered a reaction in the small children. They screeched with joy and ran towards their elder brother.

But Mingyu flinched away from them, letting out a terrified whimper as he tried to scuttle away. The children looked confused and sad, "Mingie, what's wrong?" Asked the little girl.

Mingyu furiously shook his head, "What-t-t-t-t happened-d to-o me-e-e."

Wonwoo let out a deep sigh as he looked over to the children, "Kids, your brother has had a very, very scary thing happen to him. He needs to calm down a bit before he'll feel better. Can you go inside for me and wait for us?"

"But-!" The girl started,

"Hey, that guy saved my life when I got bitten by the snake, remember?" Said the boy. The girl nodded, with an award-worthy pout on her face, "He good with helping people. He'll help Mingyu. Let's go inside for him m'kay?" He grabbed his little sister's hand and lead her into the house.

Wonwoo waited until they were out of earshot to reply to Mingyu. He turned to the shaken young man with a concerned look on his face, "Mingyu, it's me, Wonwoo. Can I sit next to you?"

Mingyu nodded as rapidly as he shook his head. Wonwoo sat next to him, giving him a look of encouragement. 

"Wonwoo..." Said Mingyu, gently grasping Wonwoo's hand, looking him straight in the eye, "Wonwoo..."

"It's me, I'm here." He smiled warmly as he squeezed Mingyu's hand in his.

"I-I was so c-cl-close. Y-you were t-the last thing I-I saw before-e the light." He chattered, gripping Wonwoo's hand as though he was about to die again, "W-was that your m-magic?"

Wonwoo nodded, "It was my magic. I was trying to revive you, and when you were... Going, it just came out of nowhere. I just hoped really hard that you'd live. I guess that was enough."

Mingyu slowly gained his signature grin on his face, "You do only do good magic then-n."

Next thing Wonwoo knew was Mingyu, throwing himself at Wonwoo wrapping his arms around Wonwoo's neck as he sobbed into his shoulder, "I-I didn't know y-you cared th-that much. E-ever since m-my mom caught me bringing-g you apples, she-e kept me here. She-e told me that I couldn't-t see-e you again. A-and you ne-ever replied t-to my letter s-so I thought you-u forgot-t about me-e."

Letter?! Thought Wonwoo. But then he remembered Chan. Earlier in the day when he got ahold of the small letter. He felt guilt drop into his stomach like a stone.

"Mingyu, of course I didn't forget about you! I've been thinking about you nonstop since we've met! I've missed you so much during these last few days, I couldn't stand it. You're such a beautiful guy, you're so wonderful and nice and I just..." Wonwoo trailed off, holding Mingyu and hoping he didn't say too much.

But Mingyu didn't seem to mind. He cried into Wonwoo's shoulder until his eyes were dry. They sat there holding eachother until Mingyu drew away, 

"Thank you Wonwoo. It's just- I don't know. I've always felt purposeless. I've tried running the orchard to keep my mind off it but the words my mom tells me always come back. 'You'll be a failure.', 'Why do you think you're making a difference when you've done nothing for this household?'" He sniffled, "I just want to love and help my family, but anything I do just seems to make things worse and it all just falls on me. I feel useless and helpless and you were one of my outlets. I let my mind wander to you, I brought you apples, I was really excited when I wrote the letter. I thought there was finally someone who... Someone who thought I was worth it, you know? I finally thought I was doing something right."

"And now you've seen just how worthless I am, haven't you?"

Wonwoo looked at him speechlessly. He realized exactly how much Mingyu needed a person he could talk to, he could be affectionate towards. Because that was something he could never do even for his own family. He was alone, properly alone. A different type of alone Wonwoo was. The type of alone where, you have people, but you can't do anything about them. They all come and go. They all become distant at the end of the day. 

"Mingyu, no." Said Wonwoo, "I-I like you Mingyu, a lot. I wouldn't forget about you. I... I think you're a really nice person. I don't mind having you around, or anything."

Mingyu smiled and sighed, "It's just been a long day. I'm sorry I had to bother you with that."

Wonwoo placed a hand on Mingyu's shoulder, "No. You're not bothering me. As I said I don't mind you Mingyu, you can say whatever you want."

Mingyu shrugged, as though Wonwoo's words didn't matter. Wonwoo guessed that Mingyu just needed time to get his self-esteem up. He'd need to show Mingyu how much he cared at some point, but when Mingyu was in denial, there was no reason to at that moment.

Wonwoo got up, "Do you still need me here? I can stay, but I don't want to sit forever. 

Mingyu looked conflicted, "I- uh- Wonwoo?"

"Yeah?"

"C-can I stay with you? Or could you stay here?"

Wonwoo sighed, "Your mom would never let me stay with you Mingyu."

"Can we go to your cottage then?"

Wonwoo internally screeched. He knew now was not the time to get excited that Mingyu might stay the night with him. The boy almost just died, and although he had shown a great amount of affection towards Wonwoo, something told Wonwoo that he probably wasn't getting laid tonight.

But still, he'd have Mingyu all to himself.

"Okay, let's be quiet though so they don't hear you leaving."

"I have to talk to my brother and sister first, they looked really sad walking back to the house. Meet me at the edge of the forest?"

Wonwoo smiled and nodded, "Sure thing."

Wonwoo watched Mingyu sprint back to his house as Wonwoo strode over the the edge of the forest, grinning from ear-to-ear. Saying he was excited was an understatement.

Mingyu came back almost right after Wonwoo reached the edge of the forest, "Hi, ready to go?"

"Yes I am." Said Wonwoo with a smile. Mingyu smiled back and held Wonwoo's hand.

"Well, lets go home then."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is smut. Lots of it.
> 
> (I got your Meanie smut needs covered y'all ;3)

Wonwoo and Mingyu hurried to Wonwoo's cottage, taking the precaution of staying quiet so they wouldn't be caught. Wonwoo noticed Mingyu grinning like a fool as they ran through the forest, of which was illuminated by the fading, orange-colored sky. He could barely stop to look, but the trees covered in the fiery glow was quite beautiful, although Wonwoo had other things on his mind rather than the scenery.

Like perhaps the way Mingyu was still gripping his hand the entire time.

But once they reached Wonwoo's cottage, Wonwoo's hand slipped out of Mingyu's to open the door. Wonwoo flashed Mingyu a little smile before heading inside, Mingyu right after him.

Mingyu closed his eyes and breathed in the air of the cottage, "Gosh, I can't get over the smell of this place. I know that's weird but the herbs just smell amazing."

"It'll be better once I can get this fire going." Said Wonwoo, heading over to the small wood oven in the kitchen, taking some chopped wood he had beside it and throwing it inside. He took out the butter knife again, tapping one of the logs.

A roaring fire burst to life due to the magic that now occurred almost instantly. Wonwoo would have never been able to do something like that normally, but the heightened state of his magic allowed him to channel it with ease; rather than having the magic be bundled inside him, almost in a state of hibernation.

"Well, I guess that's something I can do now." Said Wonwoo, staring at his handiwork. He glanced back up to Mingyu, who was stood beside him, "You hungry at all?"

"I'm good actually." Said Mingyu, "Nearly dying shook me up a bit, I don't really know if I could keep anything down."

Wonwoo chuckled and nodded. He glanced around his house, wondering why it was so quiet.

But then he realized, Sparkles and Bernard weren't there.

Wonwoo felt himself panic a little bit, "Uhm, I just remembered something I need to do. You can sit down if you want."

"Oh, sure. I don't want to be in the way at all." Said Mingyu modestly, pulling out a chair sat by the kitchen table and facing it towards the fireplace, taking a seat in it.

Wonwoo rushed out the back door, not immediately seeing Bernard or Sparkles in the back garden. It was almost nighttime now, the glow of the sky almost gone as it was now a deep blue color.

"SPARKLES!" Wonwoo called, jumping over the stone wall that blocked his garden from the thick brush behind it. He heard some faint buzzing in the distance. Bernard, he thought as he ran towards the sound.

He almost stepped on him. Bernard was on the ground, one wing twisted in a painful-looking position as the other tried to awkwardly propel him forward.

"Oh Bernard. You must've ran into one tree too many." He said, picking up the apple. Bernard hummed loudly in response to hearing Wonwoo's voice.

"I'll have to look for Sparkles after I get you fixed. At least she can fend for herself. She's a forest rabbit after all." But even when saying that, a image of Sparkles being hunted by a wolf or a fox blinked into his mind. He tried to push it away as he carried Bernard back to the cottage.

He opened the backdoor and stepped inside the now warm cottage. He noticed Mingyu was smiling down at his lap. Wonwoo made some indecent assumptions before realizing Sparkles was curled up in Mingyu's lap, enjoying Mingyu's hand as it stroked her ears.

"You have a really cute pet rabbit here." Said Mingyu when he noticed Wonwoo had returned, "It was a bit frisky when I tried to pick it up but it seems to have warmed up to me."

"That sounds like Sparkles alright." Wonwoo stated with a slight smirk. With his free hand, Wonwoo lifted another chair away from the table, setting it on the opposite side of Mingyu, sitting down on it with a huff.

"What is that?" Mingyu asked in alarm as he noticed Bernard, gently buzzing in Wonwoo's hand.

"Oh, this is Bernard. I was practicing some magic on one of the apples you brought me and it sprouted wings and a beak. I don't know how, but considering how exactly- alive- Bernard is, I'm assuming he sprouted enough organs to function as well." Said Wonwoo, examining Bernard's broken wing by the firelight.

"Wow, that's amazing." Said Mingyu in awe, still lazily stroking Sparkles ears as she slept.

Wonwoo nodded, trying to focus. He'd located the problem. One of the joints in Bernard's wing was dislocated. Nothing more than that, "I'm sorry Ber, this is going to sting a little." He took the little wing bone between his fingers and popped it back into place. Bernard buzzed viciously and nipped Wonwoo's finger with his long, thin beak. But he mellowed out as the pain in his wing went away.

Wonwoo smiled and got up. He carried Bernard, placing him in his cage along with another flower from the kitchen table. He shut the cage door as Bernard buzzed around happily. flying as much as he could in the confined space with his newly mended wing. 

He sat back down next to Mingyu, who smiled at him kindly, "Thank you for letting me stay here Wonwoo, I really appreciate not having to deal with my mom after that."

"It's not a problem Mingyu. But, I have to ask, you don't have to answer if you're still in shock from it but... What exactly happened? Your sister told me a little bit but I don't know how accurate it was." Wonwoo asked, hoping the topic wasn't too horrible for Mingyu to discuss.

Mingyu inhaled and exhaled deeply before answering, "Well, it went by quickly. I was chopping down one of the apple trees that had died. Those two were just playing tag or something, running around. The tree was almost down when I hit it wrongly with the ax. It fell on top of me. The bark and the branches felt horrible and it felt really warm around me. I felt air and blood in places there shouldn't be air and blood. Although there must've been something that pierced my lungs because I couldn't breathe. I asked the kids to get the tree off me and go to you for help. You know the rest." 

"But I've had accidents in the orchard before," Said Mingyu, showing Wonwoo his inner bicep. A long white scar ran down its entirety. Wonwoo looked at it with concern as he scooted his chair to be completely beside Mingyu. He ran a finger down Mingyu's scar, for some reason, he was transfixed by it, "What happened?"

"Again, moved the ax the wrong way and split open my arm." He said. He noticed Wonwoo's slightly horrified expression, "I'm okay now though, promise."

"And your parents just let you keep working? Even after you've been hurt like this?!" Wonwoo exclaimed, grasping Mingyu's hand, "What the hell is wrong with them?!"

"The work needed to be done." Said Mingyu quietly, "I wasn't very confident with the ax afterwards though. I- um- I t-tried talking to my mom ab-bout it but she said not to make excuses."

Wonwoo squeezed Mingyu's hand, "God I wish you didn't have to go back there. I'm glad you're staying the night, I couldn't send you back there in good conscience." He lifted Mingyu's hand to his mouth and kissed it, looking Mingyu in the eye seriously. 

Mingyu moved his hand to caress Wonwoo's cheek, staring back at him. Wonwoo leaned into his touch, shifting his hand to grasp Mingyu's wrist. Mingyu smiled calmly at Wonwoo, who mirrored his smile back at him.

"You look really pretty." Wonwoo said, blinking slowly. Gazing at Mingyu with the soft smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, you look pretty too." Mingyu replied, a bit embarrassed but still sincere. His eyes shifted down down to Wonwoo's lips, staring at them with an unreadable expression.

"You might want to set Sparkles down."

Mingyu nodded as he slowly held the rabbit in his arms, rising out of his chair. He set Sparkles down on the rug, spanning most of the main room considering the cottage wasn't very large.

He walked back over to Wonwoo slowly, glancing between his eyes and his lips. He stood in front of Wonwoo, giving him an almost angelic effect with the light from the fireplace behind him. Wonwoo was about to get up when Mingyu placed a hand on the back of Wonwoo's chair, near his shoulder, leaning down closer to him, forcing him to stay seated. Mingyu's face was remarkably closer to Wonwoo's than he could have ever imagined.

Wonwoo felt as though he couldn't breathe. Mingyu was so close to him he could feel his warmth radiating off of him. Every hair on his body was on end as he awaited Mingyu's actions. Every nanosecond of waiting felt like a year, making Wonwoo feel as though he was dying a little.

The atmosphere was perfect. Next to the warm fire, which lit the room dimly since Wonwoo forgot to light the lanterns he had in the cottage. The curtains mainly closed, only hints of darkness peeked through them. The only sounds you could hear were the fire crackling, the light breathing of Sparkles and Bernard, and the wind gently humming against the outer walls of the cozy little cottage. Through the woods and far away from civilization. It was just them. And that's all there needed to be.

Mingyu slowly closed the gap between him and Wonwoo. His lips feeling soft against Wonwoo's. Non-demanding, gentle and kind. Wonwoo was intoxicated by the first touch, but Mingyu pulled away, only to kiss again with the same gentle feeling. 

Wonwoo placed a hand on Mingyu's neck as he rose out his chair, their lips still connected. Mingyu moved the hand that was previously above Wonwoo's shoulder so it was on his shoulder instead, slowly wrapping his other arm around Wonwoo's waist. Wonwoo placed his other hand on Mingyu's chest, drawing him closer so the next kiss Mingyu planted on Wonwoo's lips felt impossibly more intimate.

Mingyu's affection and thankfulness seeped through every action he made unto Wonwoo. He became more passionate as the moments past, tilting his head slightly, holding each kiss longer every time. Wonwoo met Mingyu's lips eagerly every time, he couldn't get enough of Mingyu's tender yet emotionally intense actions. He'd always imagined Mingyu in quick, lascivious situations, not quite the slowed and detailed ones he was receiving now.

Wonwoo was practically putty in Mingyu's arms as he licked softly against Mingyu's lips. He licked again, meeting Mingyu's tongue as well. But was allowed to slip his tongue into Mingyu's mouth, lapped in its warmth and its slight taste of cinnamon.

It was enticing. Mingyu welcomed every movement Wonwoo made against him with warmth and a tasteful bit of tongue. He tried to pull Wonwoo closer to him, but they were already so close, he just held Wonwoo tighter as their exchange became fiercer.

Mingyu became a bit less precise and more forceful with his tongue as he tried to pleasure Wonwoo a bit more. He squeezed him as close as he could as he ran his hand up and down Wonwoo's cloaked back, occasionally curling his fingers a bit, making Wonwoo involuntarily arch into him. They were making more wet noises and lewd, little breaths. Making this kiss so much more intense than it was previously.

It was when Mingyu started half-moaning into Wonwoo's mouth that Wonwoo decided to move it to the bedroom. He pulled away from Mingyu, who was highly reluctant to release him from his tight grasp. But was perfectly eager to follow as Wonwoo held his had and led him to his bedroom.

"How far d'you want to want to take this babe?" Asked Wonwoo breathlessly as he sat on the bed, inviting Mingyu to settle on top of him.

Mingyu breathed near Wonwoo's neck as he clambered on top of him, his hands not quite as fluid in their movements as before, "Well, I've never... I've never..."

"Never had sex before?" Asked Wonwoo.

"Not with a man." Said Mingyu, running his hands down Wonwoo's sides, seeming to detest the clothes that were still on them.

Despite the treatment Wonwoo was getting, he still felt his stomach drop at the statement along with his confidence, "Oh, i-if you don't want to its fine. I know it'd be uncomfortable for you." He said, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

Mingyu looked him in the eye, a slight bit alarmed at Wonwoo's sudden change in mood, "Oh no, no, that's not it at all. I mean, I-I've never- I mean- I would prefer to be more..."

"Did you want to top?" Asked Wonwoo softly, stroking through Mingyu's hair with his fingers.

"Y-yeah. I'd be more comfortable with that." He said relievedly, closing his eyes with pleasure at the feeling of Wonwoo's hand in his hair.

It wasn't exactly the direction Wonwoo had in mind, but hey, how bad could it be having Mingyu inside his ass. Not very. And this was still 10x better than where Wonwoo would have thought this night would've gone. To be perfectly honest, he'd never had sex with neither man nor woman, but he sure as hell didn't mind Mingyu being his first.

"Uhm, I-I'll need to prepare though-" Said Wonwoo anxiously.

"-I'll help." Said Mingyu firmly, "You stay here, do you have any lube?"

Well that was a big fat no. He'd never needed it before and that wasn't an object his all-business mother would have kept around the house. Wonwoo thought quickly, there were some spare test potions he'd made, none of them intended for this purpose but none of them had any abilities beside being a slippery liquid. 

"Um, in the kitchen, second cabinet to the right, top-left shelf, any of the bottles that say 're-brew' on them." He said with a bit of a squeak as Mingyu accidentally pressed down on his stomach while getting up.

"Oh gosh I'm sorry, are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, don't worry." Wonwoo responded

Mingyu was out the door in a flash, shutting it behind him. Wonwoo tried to think what he'd put in each potion. There should be about four in there. One was made mainly of wildflowers, that wouldn't be bad unless Mingyu had a pollen allergy. Or one of pine needles, which even though there were none of the needles in it, it still sounded unpleasant. The third one was made of rose petals and lavender, that'd be okay, but it'd have a pretty potent smell.

What was the fourth one again?..

 

He didn't have time to remember as Mingyu quietly reentered through to door, a bottle in hand.

"Yes, that looks like the right one." Said Wonwoo cheerfully, "So um, how do you want me?"

Mingyu blushed slightly at the risqué question, "Uhm, if you could get your clothes off that'd be nice." He responded with the even more risqué answer, setting the bottle on Wonwoo's nightstand.

"Your wish is my command." Said Wonwoo with a smile. He sat up as he pulled off his witch-like cloak to reveal a tank top and shorts underneath. Mingyu had been stripping as well but paused to watch Wonwoo, taking off his tank top and shorts in favor of being completely naked. He looked at Mingyu innocently as though he didn't have a hard-on in between his legs.

"Like what you see?" Asked Wonwoo, smiling cheekily.

"Hell yes." Said Mingyu firmly, having already taken off his pants, he took off his shirt to reveal tanned, lightly defined abs, of which Wonwoo's eyes took a liking to immediately. Mingyu paused as he was about to take off his boxers, Wonwoo noticed he looked a bit startled at being so exposed. And if anything, Wonwoo wanted Mingyu to be comfortable.

"You don't have to be naked yet if you don't want, come here." Said Wonwoo, gesturing Mingyu to rejoin him on the bed. Mingyu looked grateful as he grabbed the bottle of makeshift lube. He shifted Wonwoo's legs a bit so he could sit between them.

"Ready?" Asked Mingyu, uncorking the bottle and coating his fingers.

"'Course, go ahead." Said Wonwoo confidently.

But Wonwoo wasn't exactly prepared for the sensation that followed. It wasn't the finger Mingyu so carefully entered inside him, it was the potion. Wonwoo let out a large gasp, gripping the sheets.

"Are you okay?" Asked Mingyu, looking at Wonwoo's expression for any sign of pain.

But there was no pain, but the sensation was indescribable, "Peppermint," Wonwoo muttered, "The fourth one was made with peppermint, oh God."

"Ohhhh, I thought this one smelled minty." Stated Mingyu as he moved his finger, trying to have Wonwoo relax around it before adding more.

Luckily, the peppermint sensation blocked out whatever uncomfortable sensation he would've gotten with the penetration. That paired with the feeling of Mingyu's finger experimentally curling and uncurling inside of him, with his other hand supportively perched on Wonwoo's thigh, made this actually quite pleasant.

Wonwoo almost found himself getting impatient right as Mingyu pushed in a second finger. But he was getting used to the peppermint, so he started feeling that uncomfortable, slightly burning sensation again. He grasped the sheets under him again and closed his eyes, trying not to make any noises.

But Mingyu's opposite hand's thumb was now rubbing comfortable circles on Wonwoo's thigh, hoping it would soothe him. He scissored his fingers inside of Wonwoo, who let out a whimper. Whether it was in pain or pleasure, neither of them could tell.

Wonwoo almost felt overwhelmed with the amount of care Mingyu took when handling him. The way he softly prepared Wonwoo was heartwarming to say the least. But he noticed the atmosphere wasn't exactly as hot and heavy as it needed to be, deciding to take action of his own.

He leaned up a bit to pull Mingyu down for a kiss. Mingyu accepted this quickly, his slightly hesitant energy disappearing as they kissed, adding tongue in almost immediately. This kiss was more lustfull than the kiss before, the softness gone as Mingyu moved his fingers in Wonwoo more for pleasure rather than preparation. Wonwoo quietly moaned into Mingyu's mouth as he tried to grind down on his fingers, the feeling much less alien than before.

But when Mingyu slipped in a third, that's when it really started. Wonwoo mewled, disconnecting his lips from Mingyu's as he threw his head back, arching a little but with the added girth. Mingyu moved his fingers expertly, enough to give Wonwoo quite a lot of the stretch he needed, but not enough to tear or injure him. Mingyu took the opportunity and kissed Wonwoo's neck, sucking and lightly nipping the flesh. Wonwoo threaded a hand through Mingyu's hair as he got pleasured better than he could've imagined.

"Gosh you're hot." Said Mingyu, who had pulled away from Wonwoo's neck, admiring the bright red mark he'd left there.

"Mmh, you are too." Said Wonwoo, "But I think I'm all stretched and I'm definitely sure I need more than fingers."

"I think you're right." Said Mingyu, sitting up and slipping out of his boxers, "Protection or no? I'm clean."

"None, I'm fine too." Stated Wonwoo.

"Sounds good to me." Said Mingyu, grabbing the bottle again, dripping some of the potion into his hand. He inhaled harshly when he coated himself in it, "I see what the deal was earlier with this stuff holy hell."

Wonwoo simply nodded, scandalized by the sight in front of him. Mingyu looked so much hotter naked than Wonwoo anticipated. There was a light amount of sweat on his body, his muscles looking much more defined and strong in this low light, his tan skin looking soft and inviting as he simply existed in front of Wonwoo, shamelessly readying himself. Looking deeply into Wonwoo's eyes, his pupils slightly dilated and his lips parted. Wonwoo let himself look over every inch of the stunning man in front of him. Speaking of inches, Mingyu wasn't lacking in that department either. Mingyu hadn't even done anything with those inches yet and Wonwoo was already turned on beyond belief.

Mingyu shifted himself closer to Wonwoo, placing his hands on Wonwoo's shoulders, looking at him with wide eyed and wordlessly asking for permission.

"Go ahead." Wonwoo barely whispered.

It felt different than fingers, but Wonwoo was entirely sure it was a good type of different as Mingyu filled him up entirely, much deeper than his fingers had gone. Mingyu prepared him so well, there was barely any sting to it. Even the strong feeling of peppermint was drowned out by the pleasure o it all. Wonwoo let out a sigh as he shifted his hips to a more comfortable position, letting Mingyu know he could move.

And move he did. He moved slowly at first, trying to hold back his need for friction. But the need won out after a little while, and Mingyu set a steady, fast pace. And he was making noises of his own, little forced breaths and soft cries of pleasure.

Wonwoo ground his hips against Mingyu's at every given opportunity. Being a bit farther gone than Mingyu, he let out louder sounds. The sounds of Wonwoo's deep moans and heavy breathing filled Mingyu's mind and drove him to go even faster.

Their pace was rapid as they were getting closer and closer to finishing. Wonwoo's hands moved to scratch down Mingyu's back, making him cry out louder than before. Wonwoo felt the warm, tingling sensation taking over him as he came first, his breath rattling. He spasmed with overstimulation as Mingyu finished nearly right after him, letting out an unearthly sound that made Wonwoo think the entire night was made perfect just by hearing Mingyu come undone like that.

Mingyu hung his head with exhaustion, pulling out of Wonwoo and collapsing beside him on the bed.

"Oh my god that was so worth dying for." Said Mingyu, looking at Wonwoo with a grin on his face with strands of hair stuck to his face with sweat.

"We'll hopefully you won't die again anytime soon." Said Wonwoo weakly, turning on his side to brush the hair off Mingyu's face.

"I probably will if you ever give me an orgasm like that again." Mingyu joked, wrapping his arms around Wonwoo's waist.

Wonwoo rested his head on Mingyu's chest, placing a hand near his collarbone, "That could be arranged." He said, "But not tonight. It's time to sleep."

"Agreed." 

And with that, the two of them pretty much passed out instantly. It was a long day, but the night was even longer. But it was worth it. 

And neither of them would mind having more of those long nights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is a very long note and mainly just me blabbering so move on if you're not interested.
> 
> Y'know, there was a point where I wasn't going to add smut to this fic. I know, I know, I'm pretty much just a gay smut writer yes, yes I know. But I'd become really proud of this fic and wanted it to be more appropriate for younger age groups. 
> 
> But hey,  
> I just spent a total 6 hours writing a smut that I'm insanely proud of and feel like it actually adds to my story rather than just make it another smut fic. And, this might be a bit strange, but I'm actually a full-on lesbian. I found it a bit weird that I'm kinda known for male x male writing. But who am I kidding
> 
> You like reading smut  
> I like writing smut  
> It was meant to be.
> 
> I also just posted the first smut I'd ever written from over 10 months ago (most of these I've been transferring from my old writing accounts on other websites) And if you read that after reading this you can kinda see how my style has changed over time and how much I'm actually trying to write literature and not pure smut. (at least for this fic, can't really speak for my oneshots lmao)
> 
> I just need to stop discriminating against my own writing for writing stuff like that. Because when I do I forget exactly how much I enjoy writing. But this fic and the support every single one of you has given to me has really helped me. I actually feel an urge to write and entertain and that's all because of you guys ♥♥♥♥
> 
> So thank you, I love you guys so much and hope you enjoyed this chapter and there will be many more to come :)))


	10. Chapter 10

Wonwoo woke up, eyes glazed over, warm and relaxed.

The room was filled with a gray colored light. The light pitter-patter of rain outside. The chill from last night must've brought a storm with it because he noticed the leaks in his ceiling were dripping again.

Wonwoo sighed and snuggled tighter in his blanket, trying to chase away the cold inside his cottage. He turned on his side and only then properly remembered his situation.

Mingyu was resting soundly. The gray light shining on his skin, his hair disheveled, looking like not even an earthquake could wake him from his slumber. He had one arm lazily draped around Wonwoo's middle, a faint smile on his lips.

He was the most beautiful thing Wonwoo had ever seen. 

Wonwoo smiled to himself, scooting closer and resting his head in the crook of Mingyu's neck, breathing in his scent and to preserve body heat. Which to Wonwoo, felt like a valid concern due to how freaking cold it was. He rested his hand on Mingyu's tricep, snuggling as close as he could. He placed feathery kisses on Mingyu's neck, hoping it didn't disturb him. Wonwoo just couldn't help it, he was so beautiful and he was Wonwoo's. At least right now, in this bed they were sharing.

Wonwoo's kisses became more prominent, kissing tenderly along Mingyu's neck, wondering how he was still asleep through this. Wonwoo squeezed his hand around his tricep lightly, loving the feeling of his muscle underneath his hands. Wonwoo felt so powerful, he knew this was the type of interaction he had in mind when he daydreamed of Mingyu. He knew he liked this. Mingyu in this position of vulnerability was just so right to him.

Lost in his train of thought, Wonwoo started suckling on a patch of skin on Mingyu's neck, biting a little bit, immersed in the feeling of Mingyu's skin between his teeth. He placed his other hand grasping the front of Mingyu's neck, splaying his thumb and his index finger over his Adam's apple. He licked over the patch of skin, licking a soft stripe up to his jaw. He kissed his jawline, before moving back down a bit to grasp the skin in his teeth again, much harder than he had before. After releasing it he licked over the mark, sending a shiver over Mingyu's body, earning Wonwoo a slight whimper and the feeling of Mingyu's arm around his waist tighten.

Oh, so he was awake.

Wonwoo felt guilt drop into his stomach as he tried to pull away. But Mingyu held the other flush against him.

"Don't leave." Mingyu whispered, leaning into Wonwoo to resume the position they were in, "I like it."

Wonwoo blinked before kissing the mark he left previously, as though confirming that he was, indeed, not leaving any time soon. Wonwoo kissed his jawline again, focussing on ravishing Mingyu's neck as Mingyu's arm raised off of his waist and nestled its hand in Wonwoo's hair. Mingyu whimpered again as Wonwoo started peppering bites on his neck, some stronger than others, some less than the tiniest nip.

"We should probably get up soon." Said Wonwoo against Mingyu. His breath sending a chilled sensation his neck.

Mingyu moaned softly, "Not too soon. It's cold outside and you're keeping me warm." He curled his hand in Wonwoo's hair, pulling it a bit.

"I like biting you." Said Wonwoo in a very unrelated way. He backed his statement by biting the skin near Mingyu's collarbone, making him eagerly press his chest closer to Wonwoo, wanting more.

"Bite everywhere it feels so good." Said Mingyu, curling and uncurling the hand in Wonwoo's hair almost rapidly now.

Wonwoo got the message. He pushed Mingyu so his back was against the bed. Wonwoo shifted his leg so he was now straddling Mingyu's thighs. 

Mingyu watched him adoringly as Wonwoo started peppering kisses down his chest, teeth grabbing a little flesh here and there, taking his time. He reached Mingyu's nipple when he simply kitten-licked over it, looking up into Mingyu's eyes darkly.

Mingyu mewled as he pulled him away by his hair so they both sat up.

"Why'd you stop me babe? I didn't hurt you did I?" Asked Mingyu, sweeping Mingyu's hair out of his eyes.

Mingyu looked at him with lidded eyes, "No, not at all. It's so good, I don't want to get hard again if I have to leave soon."

Wonwoo felt his heart drop into his stomach, "Wh-why would you have to leave soon?"

Mingyu gave him a apprehensive look, "My parents will kill me. I'm already in so much trouble by staying with you, I don't want to know what they'd do if I didn't show up for the orchard."

Wonwoo looked down at the blanket twisted in their laps, feeling tears fill his eyes, "Can you still have breakfast with me?"

"Wonwoo, are you crying?" Mingyu placed both his hands on Wonwoo's jaw, lifting his face up to look into his eyes. He saw the reddened, blurry eyes stare back at him with the dread to be alone after a night like that during a gray, dreary morning like this.

Wonwoo sniffled, the tears falling slowly, "I-I just don't want to send you out there all by yourself Mingyu. I- I-" He stuttered, he choked slightly before continuing, "I'm sorry you have to go back there." 

"Oh Wonwoo, it's not your fault." Mingyu said, "It's where I live, and where I have to live. But I can still have breakfast with you." He said, kissing Wonwoo's cheek before getting up and pulling on his clothes.

Wonwoo sniffed before he followed in pursuit. He was grimy from the night before, but he could wash up later and his cloaks can cover almost anything. 

Mingyu smiled bleakly as he grabbed Wonwoo's hand the they went into the kitchen. Sparkles was still asleep on her blanket. Wonwoo let go of Mingyu's hand to cook them breakfast. Mingyu went to open the windows in the room, still smiling. Wonwoo went a bit more slowly and wobbly than usual, cooking up some eggs sunny-side-up and making some toast. He handed Mingyu a plate as they went to sit down at the dining table.

"You've been so sweet to me Wonwoo. Last night was amazing, not counting the dying part, but even then you saved my life." He said, stabbing his egg with a fork, letting the yolk ooze onto his plate, "And this morning has been the nicest morning I've had in so long. So long. I'm used to just getting up, grabbing something small to eat before going to do my work, not even talking to anyone. But waking up next to you... With you on my neck... Oh gosh Wonwoo, I'm just going to think of that all day." He smiled, sweeping his toast in the yolk and taking a bite of it. 

"Well, I'm happy I get to help you. And it's nice not to wake up alone and cold on a horrible day like this." He said looking out the window by the table, eyes still red, not touching his breakfast.

"Wonwoo, it's not that bad. I'll be back soon. It's not like I'm leaving forever. I'll be back another day, I promise... Hmph." He noticed Wonwoo hadn't eaten anything. Mingyu cut into one of Wonwoo's eggs, grabbing part of it on his fork and raising it towards Wonwoo. Wonwoo smiled for a second before eating it off the fork. Not exactly hungry, but having Mingyu there made it better.

"There." Said Mingyu triumphantly, returning to eating his food. 

"I just want to keep you here and keep you safe." Said Wonwoo, half-heartedly poking his toast, "I, uhm, I really like having you around Mingyu. I wanna take care of you."

Mingyu frowned, "Wonwoo, did you ever read that letter I sent you?"

"Letter?- oh, I haven't actually. I only got it yesterday." Said Wonwoo, recalling the encounter with the courier Chan and all the other interesting characters he'd met in the village the day before.

"When I'm gone, and you're sad and worried, read it." Said Mingyu nodding, "It might make you feel better."

Wonwoo nodded, "Okay. It's just-"

"No more 'just's. Everything will be fine. But really, you should eat your eggs, they're tasty as heck."

Mingyu and Wonwoo finished their breakfasts. Well, Mingyu did. Wonwoo ate about half and decided to save the rest for Sparkles. Of whom awoke almost immediately after and demanded that Wonwoo handed over his toast and Mingyu gave her a scratch between the ears before he and Wonwoo stepped outside.

Mingyu kissed his lover goodbye, full on the lips in the light drizzle of rain. Very romantic even if Wonwoo felt like crying again. He waved at Mingyu as he trotted down the road, laden down with good luck kisses and one of Wonwoo's heating potions for, Wonwoo insisted, so he wouldn't catch a cold.

As soon as Mingyu was out of sight. He felt the tears come back. He hurried inside and into the bedroom, where he rummaged through the pockets of the cloak he wore yesterday. He found what he was looking for as he took out the letter from one of the front pockets. He wiped his tears quickly on his sleeve, sniffing a little before opening and reading the letter:

"Dear Wonwoo, 

"Gosh I hope you get this. It feels like ages since I gave you those apples and I've missed you a lot. You've been on my mind a lot lately, I know we've pretty much just met but I already feel really close to you. I really want to see you again, but my mom caught me meeting you. Everything's fine and all, but I don't know when I'll be able to drop by again. 

"If you're reading this I probably got my friend Chan to send it to you while he was on his route. And if you did get this you're always welcome to visit, I don't really care if my mom gets all uptight about it. I like you. And I hope you feel the same way because you're such a nice person and I like being with you. I'm sorry I'm a bit awkward here but I'm just a lot better talking in person. 

"Anyways, this is really long so I'll wrap it up. Not literally though, just putting it in an envelope. 

"With Love,  
"Mingyu"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> top!wonwoo is on the way kids I promise ♥


	11. Chapter 11

It had been a long time.

Wonwoo counted the days that grudgingly went by. He counted five. He knew Mingyu had his own problems, probably more of them than Wonwoo did. But Wonwoo couldn't help but want more since that eventful night almost a week ago. 

It was a different type of loneliness than last time. His heart was alight with love ever since Mingyu kissed him for the last time that morning. Everything around him reminded Wonwoo of him. He knew he could live off this happiness for a long time, but he could only do that if he knew that Mingyu was okay. He was lonely because he needed Mingyu to be okay, and not himself.

"Wonwoo, oh my gosh, this is the third time you set my lettuce on fire, what gives?" Said an exasperated Sparkles as Wonwoo looked off into the distance. He looked down at Sparkles, who was on the table, stomping the lavender-colored flames out of the leaves that Wonwoo had served her on a plate. Bernard buzzed around his cage furiously as he smelt the smoke.

"Oh, sorry." Said Wonwoo slowly, lazily pointing his butter knife at the leaves, turning them back to their original, unharmed state.

"What's gotten into you? Your magic is about four times as powerful as before! You don't even know how to control it!" Sparkles raged, hopping in circles around the table.

"Probably my pregnancy." Wonwoo said jokingly, smiling as he twirled the knife in his hand.

Sparkles stopped in her tracks. The sudden stop of motion caused Wonwoo to frown at her. Her eyes were as wide as Wonwoo had ever seen them, and she was frozen, standing on her hind legs.

"WHAT?!?!?"

She scampered up and down his arms, making him grasp her torso in his had so she couldn't move. She still squirmed around in his hand though.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!!?!?! YOU COULD HAVE HAD YOUR CHILDREN BY NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?!?! WITHOUT ME?!?!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa I was joking Sparkles, calm down." Said Wonwoo, alarmed, "I'll be fine."

"BUT WHY DO YOU LOOK PREGNANT THEN?!!?!"

Wonwoo scoffed in great offense, looking down at his stomach before responding, "What the hell?! I look fine! I'm as skinny as I've always been! Right?!"

"I dunno, all humans look freaking massive to me." Sparkles mumbled,"But you have been eating more, I figured that meant something."

"It means I've been happier with myself, you little rat!" Said Wonwoo, still quite offended as he dropped her back on the table.

"Now hold on!" Huffed Sparkles, the rabbit looking almost more offended than Wonwoo, "I am NOT a rat!"

"Wow really, couldn't tell." Said Wonwoo coldly.

"How dare-!" She started. But she was interrupted by a strong knock on the door.

Wonwoo's heart fluttered. There were a few people that could possibly be there, but he could only see an image of Mingyu's beautiful smile flash in his mind.

"Hold on, I have to talk to someone who I actually like." He smiled sickly at her has he bounded up to get the door. He let out a large breath before opening the door. But his expectations weren't correct, as he met a disturbed looking Chan at his doorstep.

"From Mingyu. Said it was urgent." Said Courier Chan, handing him a letter, "He seemed really troubled. You better read it now." He leaned against the doorway as Wonwoo tore open the letter, concerned as to what he'd read inside.

Mingyu's scrawl was hurried and sloppy, but Wonwoo could still read it:

"I need your help. There's something I need to talk to you about. Come as soon as you can. Knock on the window directly left of the back door."

"He told me that I needed to send back with a reply." Said Chan, eyeing Wonwoo's hands as they shook nervously while holding the letter.

"I-I'll go over there now." Said Wonwoo, feeling dread sink in as he thought more about what this vague letter could entail.

"Alright. It's the end of my route so I'm going to head home. Have a good day sir." Courier Chan tipped his hat at Wonwoo and began to walk back down the hill.

Wonwoo closed his eyes and sighed. What could this mean? Was Mingyu alright? Surely he wasn't calling Wonwoo over for a good time.

Unless he was, but Wonwoo doubted that Mingyu was as desperate for sex as he was. But now didn't seem appropriate to acknowledge that.

"Heading out now Sparkles." He said, grabbing his knife and slipping on a pair of boots.

Sparkles didn't answer, as she was busy sulking. Wonwoo scoffed and was out the door. 

The air was slightly humid as Wonwoo hurried down from his cottage and into the woods. He whole time we was running everything seemed blurry, not taking time to notice his surroundings. He ran straight into someone, knocking both of them over.

"Oh I'm so sorry." Said Wonwoo getting up quickly.

"No problem cutie." Said the man on the ground.

Oh for the love of God. What did he do to deserve running into Junhui at a time like this? 

"But hey, I'm pretty thirsty. Help me out?"

"Not now, need to get going." Said Wonwoo, glancing nervously at the path ahead of him.

"Oh come on-" But before Junhui could finish his sentence, Wonwoo had bolted away in the opposite direction he came from. Junhui tilted his head, "tsk, someone likes playing hard to get."

Before he knew it, Wonwoo was almost apon the Kim's backyard. Sprinting out of the forest and into its clearing. He reached the back door, looking for the window. It was, as Mingyu said, directly left of the door. It's curtains were drawn and looked uninviting, but Wonwoo gave it a few taps with his knuckles.

The curtains shot open, revealing a distraught Mingyu behind the glass. Wonwoo smiled kindly. Mingyu nodded, gesturing for him to wait there. He disappeared from the window but quietly opened the back door, as though afraid of something.

Wonwoo was about to greet him, but Mingyu shushed him before dragging him inside. They were in the Kims' kitchen now, but Mingyu opened a hatch in the floor, going down the ladder and taking Wonwoo with him into their basement. He closed the hatch and moved the ladder off to the wall opposite to them and fell to the ground.

Wonwoo gasped sharply as he rushed over, helping Mingyu into a sitting position. Mingyu looked skinnier and more ashy than usual,

"Mingyu! What's wrong?" Said Wonwoo, sitting down beside him and giving him a tight hug.

Mingyu's head lolled onto his shoulder to look at Wonwoo, a weird little smile on his face, "Thank you for coming over so quickly," He said, "I didn't know how fast Chan would get that to you."

"Mingyu what's wrong? You look more dead than the time you died." Said Wonwoo, his arms still wrapped around Mingyu, "You can tell me."

Mingyu frowned, thinking a bit before speaking, "I- um- I haven't eaten in three days Wonwoo."

"Mingyu! Are you okay? can I get you something?" Asked Wonwoo, jumping up, ready to take action.

Mingyu tilted his head down so Wonwoo couldn't see his face, "I haven't been allowed to eat for the last three days Wonwoo. I've drank some water, but nothing to eat."

"Wh-what happened?" Wonwoo stuttered in horror.

Mingyu's voice now sounded thick and emotional, "I- I didn't know what to do Wonwoo. M-my mom usually just s-sends me off with no dinner if I needed to be disciplined. S-she's never had me work without food and go full days without eating. She knew I'd slept somewhere that wasn't at home but she-e assumed I got lost or something. B-but the kids-s told her how I died and you saved me. I- she- she said this was punishment for l-leaving my duties." He looked up at Wonwoo, his eyes red and tears on his cheeks, "I- I'm scared that I'm really going to die Wonwoo. What would've happened if you didn't come today? W-what if this keeps going?"

Wonwoo closed his eyes, wiping off a tear forming in one of them, feeling himself fill with rage at the injustice Mingyu has had to gone through, "This will end now Mingyu." He said sharply, "Where's your mother?"

"Y-you can't kill her Wonwoo, my brothers and sisters-" 

"I wasn't going to. I'm going to make her sorry for what she did to you." He said, pure hatred flowing through his veins. 

"Please don't hurt her."

"I won't. Take me to her."

Mingyu stood up shakily, putting the ladder back so they could climb out of the basement. He held Wonwoo's hand as he lead him to his mother's room. The door was shut, so Mingyu knocked softly as Wonwoo unsheathed his knife from his pocket. Of which started producing ice crystals as soon as it entered his hand.

"Come in love." Said the voice of Mingyu's mother from inside. Mingyu let go of Wonwoo's hand as he stepped inside, closing the door slightly behind him to make sure his mother didn't see Wonwoo.

"I said I'm not giving you anything. You made your choice that night." Wonwoo heard Mingyu's mother's voice distinctly change as soon as she saw Mingyu.

"Mom, I'm going to die. Please-"

"Well have your witch-boy help you. I obviously don't matter to you anymore. Otherwise you would have said something."

"Mom, that's not true. I was dying. I needed someone."

"Oh and you couldn't keep it in your pants could you? You couldn't be a normal kid and snuck off with a girl. At least that'd be predictable. But no, you injured yourself for his attention. Just so you could sleep with him and disgrace your parents. You had to go to witch-boy's house and act like the little whore you are."

That was the last straw. Wonwoo burst through the door. His wand shot sharp ice into the carpet, startling Mrs. Kim. Wonwoo didn't know it, but his eyes were shining white-blue light into the room. His icy rage agitating his magic greatly as ice hung from the tip of his knife.

"You cannot call him a whore."

Mrs. Kim stood up from an armchair she was sitting in, "You have no right to come into my house and destroy my family! You are a monster!"

Wonwoo walked straight up to Mrs. Kim and slapped her square across her face with his empty hand, Ice shards imbedded themselves in her cheek, spreading a think layer of ice crystals across it. She looked horrified as she started lightly bleeding, clutching her face.

"You- you idiot. How can you do this when you know I take care of your precious Mingyu? Huh? I can torture him for eternity for what you've done to me." She said, her voice growling with outrage.

"HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF KNOWING WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO YOUR SON?!" Screamed Wonwoo, the ice from his wand boiling rapidly, turning into steam as the knife turned white-hot in Wonwoo's hand, his eyes turning a furiously bright white color, blinding to look at. His voice projecting unnaturally loud, "YOU CAN'T TREAT PEOPLE LIKE THIS AND EXPECT THEM TO GO UNNOTICED. WHY DO YOU THINK I'M HERE?! TO KILL YOU?!? YOU ARE A WORTHLESS, EVIL WOMAN. LEAVE US ALONE."

Wonwoo thrust his wand at the armchair, setting it ablaze with red flames, grabbing Mingyu by the wrist and evacuating the house. Wonwoo didn't stop until they reached the outside of the cottage. The whole thing seeming like it went by in seconds.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her." Said Mingyu sadly.

"I didn't hurt her. She brought hurt to herself." Wonwoo said, slowly starting to grin,

"I probably did hurt the chair though."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT WIDFIFNEDICNSHFKSNSJFKDBDFNS
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE SOONER


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HO BOY LOTS OF SMUT M'KAY BE PREPARED TELL YOUR GRANDMA TO LEAVE THE ROOM OKAY

Mingyu had been fed. Wonwoo tried his best to make sure he was as comfortable as he could be in front of the fireplace with as many second, third, forth servings as he could ask for. But the room felt tense, Wonwoo knew he went too far and upset Mingyu. Mingyu was frowning into his stew, despite how eager he was to receive it.

Wonwoo stood by the sink, numbly washing and re-washing the dishes. The water felt burning hot against his skin, but he knew the water's true temperature was merely tepid against his still icy hands. The room seemed silent even though it was filled with the quiet sounds of Mingyu eating, the fire crackling, Bernard's snoring, and the water sloshing in the sink.

"I don't know if I should apologize to you or you should apologize to me." Exclaimed Mingyu out of the blue, producing a particularly energetic scrape at the bottom of his bowl with his spoon.

"I don't know what else I would've done Mingyu, I'm sorry. You were just- she was so terrible to you." Said Wonwoo, "I- I went overboard. But you needed to get out of there. You were half-dead when I found you."

"It wasn't right Wonwoo. She didn't deserve that." Said Mingyu sourly, looking up at Wonwoo.

"She was starving you Mingyu, what else would I have done? She threatened to torture you!" 

"She only wanted to keep me around! She cares about my safety!"

"And I don't? I don't starve you!"

"She's my mother Wonwoo! Of course you'd feel close towards your family!"

"Gee Mingyu, maybe I would if I had any family to feel close to!"

Silence. The room went still as they took in exactly what Wonwoo had stated. Mingyu let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"I'm sorry." Said Mingyu. He glanced at the sink and then back to Wonwoo, "Come sit with me?"

Wonwoo felt betrayed, but set aside that feeling as he wordlessly grabbed a chair and sat next to Mingyu. It's not like Wonwoo forgot. It's not like he'd ever forget that he has no living relatives to speak of and takes comfort in socializing with his rabbit and trying to convince himself he's just a loner. Pitiful, Wonwoo thought, I am pitiful. I can't even keep one person in my life.

"I didn't mean to say it like that." Said Mingyu, "I just- I know you don't have family, but I do. And I care about them. Even if I'm not treated the best that doesn't mean you should turn my mom into a popsicle." 

Wonwoo glared at the ground, "I know that. But, also, remember that you're the only person that actually matters in my life. That I'm all alone up here. And if you died I wouldn't stay in my own little hell on earth either. If I see you in danger, I take action. I'm not going to let you get treated like that."

Because you're mine, Wonwoo wanted to add. But he knew now was not the appropriate time to state how much he really wanted Mingyu to accept him. He felt his anger boiling away slightly as he realized how much he needed Mingyu to stay. How his little hell on earth would bring him so much more suffering without Mingyu there, gently patting the flames off his shoulders.

Mingyu sighed again. He looked over to Wonwoo and pressed a kiss on the side of his mouth. He looked down shamefully, "I'm sorry. You saved me, I- I- I just, I wanted to..."

"It's fine, I know." Said Wonwoo, knowing perfectly well he didn't exactly view it as 'fine', and still felt rejected.

"You're mad at me." Stated Mingyu, staring into Wonwoo's eyes.

"Yeah, actually I am." Said Wonwoo sharply, "I really am."

"Anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Wonwoo squints at Mingyu, angered a bit more by his obvious desire to make Wonwoo happy again just to make himself less guilty. Mingyu just wanted this to be over so they could cuddle or something. Something about that didn't sit well with Wonwoo, it seemed selfish of him. He was still angry, and he didn't know how to let it dissipate.

"Let's just go to bed." Said Wonwoo, exasperated. He got up, not even waiting for Mingyu, who quickly followed after him, and walked to the bedroom.

The room felt of defeat. It wasn't a warm atmosphere as Mingyu and Wonwoo stripped down to their preferred state of dress for sleeping. Wonwoo noted that he was a little bit less dressed than Mingyu, but what he was noting this for was beyond him, considering how tense, cold and distant this felt.

Wonwoo still angry, turning off the lights and placing himself under the covers quite vigorously. Mingyu felt confused and ashamed, hesitating before joining Wonwoo in the bed. Trying not to disturb Wonwoo, even though he was very much awake. It was more the reason you don't disturb the water of a pond that held an alligator, rather than an act of courtesy to someone sleeping.

But they lay, side by side, both staring at the moonlit ceiling with the sounds of the wind whistling cheerfully outside. The troubling thing is that the only thing that could make either of them fall asleep as happily as the wind brushing against their home, was them being able to brush against each other. They both missed the intimacy and the understanding they had before now.

But they just laid in silence, Wonwoo turned on his side, facing away from Mingyu. He felt his anger turning to numb sadness. He knew Mingyu was upset, he knew that he never wanted to make Wonwoo angry, no matter how logically he was thinking or not. It was a confusing mood between the two, not one that could last very long.

"Wonwoo, are you still awake?" Whispered Mingyu, facing himself towards Wonwoo and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah. I am." Wonwoo said lowly, turning in a half-circle to face Mingyu. The moonlight from one of the windows illuminated his face slightly, making his expression readable to Wonwoo. He could tell Mingyu was frowning, in a conflicted sort of way.

"I'm sorry." He said, reaching up a hand to place on Wonwoo's cheek.

Wonwoo didn't reject it, he couldn't just brush Mingyu off like that. He was being rude enough already, "I understand." Said Wonwoo, staring into Mingyu's barely visible eyes.

"You're still mad?" He asked, caressing Wonwoo's cheek slightly with the back of his hand.

Wonwoo hesitated, "No." He concluded, hoping he wouldn't be questioned further, but also hoping maybe Mingyu actually wanted to sort this out.

"Then can you come here?" Mingyu stayed very still, waiting for Wonwoo's response.

Wonwoo gave in, he scooted closer to Mingyu, resting his forehead against Mingyu's, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"I love you, I really do." Said Mingyu pressing a light, feathery kiss against Wonwoo's lips before his mouth curved into a small smile and his eyes slowly closed.

Wonwoo felt a bit better, but still, it didn't feel right to him yet. He pressed slow, deliberate kisses onto Mingyu's neck, trying to prove something to himself more than Mingyu. Mingyu shifted his head a little so Wonwoo had more access, moving the hand he had on Wonwoo's cheek down to his shoulder as Wonwoo pecked more strong kisses onto his neck.

Wonwoo embraced Mingyu around the waist tighter, holding the kisses for longer, making them wetter by licking his lips. He was being tender, trying to re-open up the lines of physical communication with Mingyu. He runs his hands up and down Mingyu's lower back, but not below the waistband. It was meaningful, maybe passionate, but there was no sexual feelings in his motions, not a hair of suggestion as he loved Mingyu, rigidly and a little too forcefully. Too deliberate and safe in his actions. Almost afraid of anything more.

"Wonwoo?" Asked Mingyu quietly.

"Yes Mingyu?" Answered Wonwoo, suddenly struck with a fear that he'd gone too far already.

"Uhm," Said Mingyu, obviously embarrassed. Wonwoo could just hear from his voice that, if the lights were on, he'd see Mingyu blushing, "D'you remember that morning when I first stayed with you?" He asked, the hand on Wonwoo's shoulder tightening.

"'Course I do." Replied Wonwoo, who was in relief that Mingyu wasn't declining his affections and began to kiss his neck again.

"Well- ah- it's uhm- I- I really liked it."

"I did too, it was very nice."

"I- uhm- c-could you bite me like you did that morning?"

Wonwoo stopped in his tracks, looking slightly questioningly at Mingyu.

Mingyu must've noticed because he had now sprung to justify himself, "I- I mean- I just missed you so much and I- I love touching you but- it's- I love being bitten by you and it just feels so good and you're just so hot and I-" He cut himself short when Wonwoo started suckling on a bit of skin close to his collarbone. 

Wonwoo very lightly closed his mouth around it, just grazing his teeth against the skin as he licked the area and started sucking on it again. Mingyu was making small, pleasured noises. Wonwoo closed his eyes as he bit different areas of Mingyu's neck, moving up to his jaw and down just below his collarbone. 

Wonwoo knew Mingyu was really enjoying this, so he tried doing the same. He pushed whatever negative thoughts he'd had earlier as he bit, licked and sucked Mingyu's neck. He shifted them so Wonwoo was laying over Mingyu, straddling one of his legs. He was consumed with the image in his mind of Mingyu's flesh, marked with bite marks. It made Wonwoo's skin crawl in the best way possible.

Wonwoo moved a hand down to squeeze Mingyu's thigh while he produced a particularly wet kiss on his jaw. Mingyu was clutching Wonwoo's shoulder almost painfully tight. Wonwoo moved it off with his other hand and pinned it against the bed. He bit harder at Mingyu's neck, quite hard enough to leave marks. Mingyu let out a loud moan as Wonwoo moved his hand back up Mingyu's thigh and to the hem of his shirt, slipping the hand under and indulged himself in the feeling off Mingyu's skin under his fingers.

It was getting hotter and heavier. Wonwoo felt himself getting harder at the sound and the feeling of Mingyu. Mingyu was far more along as Wonwoo played with one of his nipples from under his shirt, tweaking it between his fingers as he moved up to kiss Mingyu on the mouth. 

Mingyu could barely keep ahold of himself as Wonwoo slipped his tongue into his mouth. Wonwoo was pleasuring him in so many different ways that it was overwhelming. Any thoughts from earlier tonight were long forgotten as Mingyu unconsciously ground his crotch into Wonwoo's thigh, hooking a leg over so his heel dug in somewhere near his calf.

Wonwoo must've noticed this because he decided to be a tease. He firstly, almost kneed Mingyu in the balls as he moved his leg along with Mingyu's movements. Which didn't seem very pleasurable at first but as soon as Mingyu realized what he was doing the friction took over his mind as he let out an even louder, lewder, and more devastated moan than any of the others before into Wonwoo's mouth. Which made Wonwoo pull away entirely, breaking the kiss, the grinding and all, as he sat on Mingyu's stomach, taking his own shirt off and smiling down at Mingyu.

"Wonwoo, please." Begged Mingyu as he tried to grind into nothing, "I-I need you."

"I'm here, what do you need me to do baby?" Asked Wonwoo, the smallest of smiles on his face, throwing the shirt off into the corner, also also pulling off Mingyu's, throwing that aside as well.

"I- I Wonwoo, it- I need-"

Wonwoo curved down to whisper in Mingyu's ear, 

"I can't fuck your brains out unless you tell me to Mingyu." 

He sat back up, as happily and normally as before, even though he knew Mingyu couldn't really see his face in the darkness. But that was beside the point, those details didn't exactly matter to Wonwoo at this very moment. Considering it seemed like Mingyu was going to make all his dreams come true.

"That sound so good Wonwoo please-" Said Mingyu, obviously flustered from Wonwoo's not-so-subtle hint as to what he planned on doing.

Wonwoo kissed Mingyu lightly, "Not very literate but l'll take that as a yes?" He leaned over to open a drawer in the nightstand beside the bed, pulling out a bottle. At least this time he came prepared with an- appropriate- flavor this time. Peppermint may have been an interesting experience for him but he didn't want Mingyu to have to repeat that process, settling for a nice bottle of potion made from roses.

"Yes, yes Wonwoo, yes." Replied Mingyu, bucking slightly as Wonwoo palmed him lightly before removing his boxers. He slicked up one of his hands with the potion and dawdled with his fingered poised.

"Have you ever fingered yourself?" Asked Wonwoo curiously, and a little bit worryingly.

"No." Replied Mingyu, grasping the bedsheets beneath him, "Just go for it, I'll tell you if it hurts."

"It will." Said Wonwoo, not comfortingly. He pressed a finger in, making Mingyu arch and whimper. He leaned a bit closer, "but it'll be worth it." 

And with that, it all started. Wonwoo moved the finger around for awhile, letting Mingyu get used to the feeling before adding another. Mingyu was in pain but Wonwoo comforted him the best he could one-handedly. They eventually worked up to three, Wonwoo being able to scissor his fingers a little. That's when Mingyu interrupted with, "I'm fine Wonwoo, I want you now."

That totally didn't set Wonwoo off at all.

Wonwoo slowly took the fingers out and took off his own boxers. He grabbed the bottle and poured a large amount on his hands. He covered himself quickly, biting his lip, before sitting in between Mingyu's legs.

But Mingyu stopped him there, holding him back with two hands on his chest, "Wait, Wonwoo."

"Is everything alright?" Asked Wonwoo, suddenly very worried again.

"I just wanted to tell you I love you." Said Mingyu.

"Oh my god Mingyu, I love you too but what made you want to announce it now?"

"Because I know I was ungrateful for what you did and I'm sorry-"

"Mingyu, let me fuck you and I'll give you something to be grateful for."

Mingyu blushed, "Uh, yeah, about that-"

"If you were uncomfortable Mingyu, you should've told me sooner." Said Wonwoo with a sigh. He pulled away a little but Mingyu reached and held his hips in place, keeping him in place.

"Actually no, I want to ride you."

Wonwoo made an inhumanly noise in the back of his throat. He choked on his own saliva as he sputtered and coughed in response. He braced himself on Mingyu's thighs as he got through the mini choking fit he was having.

"Holy crap, are you okay?" Asked Mingyu, slightly chuckling. He put his hand on top of one of Wonwoo's as Wonwoo regained his breath.

"You're too much, I swear." Said Wonwoo appreciatively. He kissed Mingyu quickly on the lips, "That sounds fantastic to be honest."

Mingyu smiled, ecstatic that Wonwoo agreed to it, and nodded enthusiastically as they switched positions. Wonwoo lied on the bed with an excited Mingyu on his thighs.

"I- I have to admit I've thought about this for a while." Said Mingyu, looking between Wonwoo's eyes and the appendage of his that he was about to sit on, "I mean, topping was familiar to me because of girls- b-but it wasn't-" He looked embarrassed, not knowing the vivid mental image of him, bouncing on top of Wonwoo, making the little noises and moans that he does, drove Wonwoo mad. Again, the room wasn't well lit and they'd be doing this almost in the dark. But Wonwoo was almost ready to flip them back around and fuck him into the mattress regardless.

"It's okay Mingyu, I get it. But let's get moving before I lose my patience." Said Wonwoo. The slightly menacing undertone to his statement startled Mingyu, but considering the encouraging little smile on his lips and the hand that was exploring the expanse of his lower torso, he meant it kindly.

He grasped Wonwoo in one hand, making Wonwoo close his eyes and let out a little sigh as Mingyu positioned himself above it.

So soon. Wonwoo was taken off-guard, moaning as Mingyu practically dropped himself on Wonwoo, squeaking as though he surprised himself with this. Mingyu placed his hands on Wonwoo's stomach, bowing his head and closing his eyes as he ground sensually against Wonwoo.

The moonlight from the window had become brighter since they originally went to bed. Mingyu was bathed in a glorious pale blue light. The light made Mingyu stand out against the rest of the dark room. Wonwoo could see every heave of his chest, every slight movement, the endless expanse of his beautiful muscles, the shine of his wetted lips, the hair falling across his upper face, him being so tuned into the feeling of Wonwoo, firm and pulsing inside him to push the strands of hair away. 

He breathed heavily, so far undone without Mingyu even moving. The image was literally breath-taking, Wonwoo's breathing was so shallow he couldn't even say a word of encouragement to the boy. Merely staring, eyes heavily lidded and mouth unconsciously open.

Mingyu shuddered as he raised his hips back up, moving them around, making Wonwoo let out a hoarse breath. He dropped once again, less forcefully and slower than last time. But this pace seemed to be right as he let out an almost filthy, loud moan.

"You feel so good Wonwoo." He said, grinding like his life depended on it. Wonwoo thrusted his hips roughly. Mingyu howled as he felt his prostate be stimulated. This made him go up and back down again quickly, searching for that spot again, his breathing sounding fast, desperate and loud, whimpering with every exhale.

The pace was almost inhuman as Wonwoo had both hands on his hips, gripping him with enough force to bruise and pulling him down even more forcefully. He thrusted with Mingyu, making harsh slapping sounds and making the bed creak. It was rough, it was hot, it was fast and it was wet.

Wonwoo was giving himself to Mingyu as quickly as Mingyu's thighs came down demanding for him. They were much louder than they were the first time they'd had sex. The noises were indecent. Whatever anger they still had inside them was being physically ejected. It was vicious. And they loved it.

Mingyu screamed out as high as his deep, rich voice would go as Wonwoo hit his prostate again. Wonwoo tried his best to focus his mind on hitting that spot again. He succeeded and Mingyu was so desperate to come. He tried to go even faster, his legs shaking violently, almost too much to hold him up. Mingyu grasped Wonwoo's waist in his hands, trying to guide him and in someway make everything impossibly faster and harder. He was falling apart. Wonwoo was groaning loudly as he was close to finishing too, trying not to push against Mingyu's hands as he fucked Mingyu with all the energy in his being.

"Please, please, agh- Wonwoo- I'm so- please-" Mingyu squeaked, gripping onto Wonwoo so hard, his whole body shaking and trying to have enough composure to keep moving, so painfully close to coming.

"Oh fuck- Mingyu- ah- come for me baby boy come on-" Groaned Wonwoo, feeling the familiar tingling in his stomach as he gathered the last of his strength to make Mingyu come.

Mingyu dug his nails into Wonwoo's sides as he screamed Wonwoo's name. Coming onto his stomach, his hips moving erratically, clenching around Wonwoo as he felt the heat of Wonwoo's come inside him and hearing his hoarse, shamelessly loud moan filling his eardrums. 

Mingyu bounced for a few seconds before pausing halfway down, shaking to the point of vibration, his voice high and almost gone from screaming. His mouth was completely slack as he moaned soundlessly.

Wonwoo's hands held Mingyu in place as he tried to stay still, stopping his thrusts except for a few involuntary twitches that made Mingyu recoil due to overstimulation. Wonwoo let out a shaky sigh as he looked Mingyu in the eyes. They were wrecked, and no words that could be muttered with their hoarse voices could make that anymore apparent. 

Mingyu pulled himself off with a liquid sound and collapsed on the bed. Wonwoo couldn't care less about the come on his stomach as he hugged Mingyu close. Mingyu hugged him back. They were both heavily panting and sweating, not to mention the other bodily fluids that made their way in between the two. But the hug was needed, the hug was absolutely necessary.

"I love you so much." Whispered Mingyu against Wonwoo's shoulder. Wonwoo almost felt bad because he was shaking so hard. He held him tighter, nuzzling into his hair.

"I love you too." Said Wonwoo, "You're so beautiful."

"Thank you." Said Mingyu quietly, closing his eyes, not energy left to keep them open.

"You're welcome baby boy." Said Wonwoo with a smile.

Mingyu must've fallen asleep, because he didn't respond. That's okay, Wonwoo thought, he needs it. Wonwoo kissed the top his his head before resting his head against the pillow, about to fall asleep too.

"I like it when you call me that." Said Mingyu, 

After that he actually fell asleep. And so did Wonwoo. But not before smiling, and swearing upon his life never to let this man leave his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> key to writing smut
> 
> \- dont tell people you are going to make it soon  
> \- listen to some good ol' dean beforehand  
> \- rewrite it three times
> 
> (protip: being horny helps)


	13. Chapter 13

Wonwoo's eyes open. The pale light from the window glowed golden on the bed. He smiled and looked over to the other side of the bed, wanting to see Mingyu sleeping so beautifully.

But all he saw was the quilt, crumbled with no sleeping Mingyu in it.

Wonwoo immediately sat up, alarmed by this discovery. He started to hear a faint sound coming from outside his window. He decided to get up to investigate. 

The dried residue of last night was on his skin, but he needed to get outside quickly. He threw on one of his robes and ran out the room. He tried listening closely for a second. The sound, now clear, made Wonwoo's heart shudder. Crying. Someone was crying. On his back porch. And he knew the only person that could get into his yard was Mingyu.

He opened the back door slowly, but peeked his head out the door.

Mingyu was sitting on a large rock by the door, nearly dressed and shaking violently as he sobbed into his hands.

Wonwoo's heart shuddered more. He walked over to Mingyu, placing a hand on his back, "Mingyu, are you okay?" He asked softly, rubbing Mingyu's back.

Mingyu jumped slightly when Wonwoo touched him, but didn't pull away, "I- I can't go back." He cried, his breath shallow, "I can't go back home."

Wonwoo sighed as he crouched beside Mingyu, still rubbing his back, "I'm sorry."

"Where will I go?" Mingyu asked, raising his voice, of which was thick with crying, "I have no where to go back to."

Wonwoo let out a long sigh, "Mingyu, you're going to live with me for awhile. I'll take care of you." He said slowly, "I won't let you just stay out on the street somewhere. You're my Mingyu."

Mingyu looked up at Wonwoo. His eyes were red and swollen, his hair standing up at odd angles only achievable from having slept on it. Along with the fact his jawline and neck were littered with little bruises. Which in any other situation, Wonwoo would have liked. But at this moment, Mingyu looked the very definition of pitiful. He was a broken man in that moment, a man broken away from the life he had come to be used to. No matter how horrible that life was, every broken habit comes with withdrawals 

"Wonwoo, I'm scared." Mingyu shook as his body produced more powerful sobs, "I don't want to be- I don't want to be trouble for you-u but I can't go back to my mom." 

Wonwoo moved to rub his neck, "You're not trouble. You're never trouble. You're loved here and I will be here for you."

Mingyu sniffed, his breath hiccuping, unable to bring a sufficient amount of air into his lungs to breathe normally, "Wonwoo I-"

Wonwoo kissed his cheek, looking deeply, almost sternly into his eyes, "Have you gotten breakfast yet?"

Mingyu's eyes were wide with despair and tears. He shook his head, trying to wipe away his tears only to be struck with another heaving sob. He raised his hands to cover his face as he started crying again.

Wonwoo pulled his hands away from his face, looking back into his eyes, "Have you washed up at all?"

"N-no," Mingyu managed to answer between sobs. Wonwoo had reached a conclusion.

"Lets get washed up babe, then I'll feed you and we can talk this out." Stated Wonwoo reassuringly, standing up and pulling Mingyu with him. Mingyu stood up without hesitation, still sniffling and whimpering a little too much to reply. Wonwoo held both his hands as he led Mingyu back into the house. 

He lead them into the bathroom his mother had installed into the cottage. It was very sophisticated compared to the outhouse they also had. It even had clay brick walls to keep the moisture in. There was a small water pump in the middle of the room, of which was pretty bare. There was a toilet of sorts and his mother had the ability to drain water out of a room, so there was no drain to be found.

Wonwoo's bare feet padded across the cold, brick floor. He pulled a large metal tub off a hook on the wall. He set the tub next to the water pump and grabbed a heating potion off of a shelf. He poured the potion into the bottom of the tub. 

Heating potions, in Wonwoo's opinion, were the most useful potion in the world. You could drink it and it'd be as comforting and warming as a mug of hot chocolate, you can pour it onto your windows to rid them of frost, paired with other potions you can wake a person from the dead with it. But Wonwoo stocked some in the bathroom so he could add them to baths to make the water warm.

Mingyu stood and watched, repeatedly wiping his nose on his sleeve as Wonwoo pumped water into the tub. It didn't take long and the water was steaming slightly, looking so inviting on this brisk morning.

Wonwoo smiled and walked over to the slightly slimy Mingyu, kissing him romantically on the lips as he striped him of his clothes, of which were from the day before and entirely too gross. Wonwoo held Mingyu's face as he pulled away, still smiling. Mingyu smiled weakly in return, sniffing.

"I'm going to get fresh clothes. Make yourself comfortable, I'll join you in a second." Said Wonwoo, entirely pulling away this time. Mingyu nodded like a child having been given a command. Wonwoo quick pecked him on the lips before leaving the room, heading towards his own room.

He stepped inside and sighed. He was overcome with love for Mingyu. These were moments when Mingyu was tender and raw with his emotions, of which he's always been reluctant to share, being the positive, cheery person he is.

Wonwoo sighed happily as he opened a drawer of his dresser. He hadn't opened this drawer in months. It was his villager clothes. His mother had gotten him regular clothing in case he ever decided to be a regular warlock. The type that fits into regular society like a glove. But Wonwoo was a witch, who wore the black robes and even occasionally the pointy hats. He had no need for villager clothes.

But he rummaged through the drawer; He was looking for an outfit Mingyu could wear. He liked oversized clothing so the clothes would probably fit perfectly on Mingyu. He grabbed a soft, silky gray sweater and a pair of unworn pants he's swear he'd never seen before.

He closed the drawer and opened a drawer familiar to him and grabbed a particularly wooly black robe and closed that drawer. Under garments were an issue, Mingyu would definitely not fit in any of Wonwoo's, he grabbed his own and a pair of cotton shorts Mingyu could, perhaps, fit into. As one final thought, he grabbed some towels and then went to reenter the bathroom.

He was met with a truly gorgeous sight. Besides Mingyu being obviously naked, his body that wasn't under the water was glistening with the now silver light of outside. His eyes were closed and it almost looked like he was sleeping, but his eyes snapped back open as he noticed Wonwoo. He smiled levelly, having regained his calm, cheerful attitude.

"The water is very nice Wonwoo, come join me." He said, lightly splashing the water in the tub.

Wonwoo grinned and nodded as he striped out of his robe quickly, Mingyu raised his eyebrows when he saw Wonwoo was not wearing anything under it. Wonwoo walked over to the tub, running his fingers along the rim, looking at Mingyu suggestively.

Mingyu sat up straighter, paying great attention to Wonwoo's movements. Wonwoo had bent down and dipped his fingers in the water, testing the temperature. He stepped in and sat down facing Mingyu, closing his eyes and exhaling as the hot water held him in its soothing clutches.

Mingyu was enraptured by Wonwoo, the sultry undertones of this bath were prominent as Wonwoo opened his eyes slightly, looking at Mingyu with a heavily lidded look.

Wonwoo took the time to look over Mingyu. The redness of his eyes had faded and the bruises on his neck, his jaw, his collarbones. They were so attractive to Wonwoo. It was a reminder that Mingyu was his, his to take care of, his to pleasure and play with. Mingyu was beautiful in every way to Wonwoo, and he couldn't ask for more.

He rested arms on the sides of the tub, little beads of water dripping slowly off of them. Wonwoo was daring him to move, he wanted Mingyu to be comfortable, but he also wanted to have some closeness he was deprived of this morning.

Mingyu noticed his attitude and grabbed Wonwoo by his waist under the water. He pulled him onto his lap. Wonwoo's hands found home pressing against Mingyu's chest as Mingyu wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed him deeply on the lips. 

"I was really worried about you this morning Mingyu." Mumbled Wonwoo against Mingyu's lips, "I thought you would've still been in bed."

He felt Mingyu almost freeze, "I needed fresh air, I couldn't think straight. I would have stayed and lied with you I just- I'm clueless Wonwoo." He said quietly, pulling his lips away.

"You're going to be okay Mingyu, I promise I'll keep you safe."

Mingyu didn't reply, but merely kissed him once again. Wonwoo didn't mind the silence, Mingyu had a lot to think about. Mingyu pulled him closer on his lap and held him close. Wonwoo could feel his low energy seeping into his actions.

Mingus was tired. He was tired by the events that happened with his family, tired by his emotions and tired of thinking about the future. He just focused on holding Wonwoo, but even then his arms were slightly slack.

It made Wonwoo worried. He loved Mingyu, with all his heart. But he didn't know what he could do to make Mingyu himself again. Wonwoo broke the kiss and rested his head on Mingyu's shoulder, deep in thought.

"Should we wash up?" Asked Mingyu after a few minutes of staying like that.

Mingyu sighed, "I almost just want to sleep."

Wonwoo gained a slightly confused expression, "Did you not sleep well last night?"

Mingyu blinked slowly, " I mean, I was a bit sore..." he trailed off, looking at Wonwoo exhaustedly, "And I- I was thinking a bit too much. I didn't think I should've even stayed here, I didn't know you wanted me to. I... I was almost five miles into the forest when it hit me I had nowhere to go. When I came back the sun had risen and I sat on the porch because..."

He stared at the surface of the water, as though it was a script for his answer. But no answer came, he merely closed his eyes and held on tighter to Wonwoo.

"Awh Mingyu," Said Wonwoo disappointedly, "you should've said something. Lets get dressed and you can get some sleep."

Mingyu didn't open his eyes, but nodded and let go of Wonwoo. Wonwoo got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around himself. He helped out the half-asleep Mingyu as well, giving him a towel and his clothes.

Mingyu dried off and put on the clothes, of which fit beautifully. Wonwoo grabbed a back scratcher, and using it as a wand, he drained the tub. Mingyu was not awake enough to admire the skill of which he did it with.

Mingyu slipped his hand into Wonwoo's as Wonwoo led him back to his room. Mingyu lied down on the bed, eyes immediately closing. Wonwoo moved onto the bed to spoon him. He lightly kissed Mingyu's neck and rested his chin on his shoulder. He had so much he wanted to ask Mingyu about, but now, Mingyu needed sleep. A good, proper sleep. Because who knows when the last time he had one of those was.

"Thanks." Said Mingyu quietly, "I'm sorry I'm being such a burden."

"You're not." Said Wonwoo, nuzzling Mingyu's shoulder, "it's just a tough time for you and you need someone to lean on."

"Mhmm." That was the last thing Mingyu said before falling deeply asleep. Wonwoo was awake however, and noticed Sparkles scamper into the room. She seemed distressed.

"Wonwoo, there's a stranger at the door." She said. Wonwoo was about to tell her to keep her voice down, but then realized Mingyu would've only heard a slight chittering noise.

"Okay, okay give me a second." He replied. He slowly pulled away from Mingyu, who didn't stir in the slightest. He got up and fixed his robe before heading into the main room. There was indeed someone knocking loudly at the door. No voice, but he was surprised he couldn't hear the knocking from his room. Wonwoo opened the front door. 

At the door was a man, vaguely familiar yet also looked foreign and from far away. He looked to be in his late forties, his jet black hair, specked with gray fell just past his ears in well-maintained strands. He had a stubbly beard and serious brown eyes. He wore an expensive leather trenchcoat over a worn looking suit. He looked a lot like Wonwoo.

The man smiled kindly, "Wonwoo?"

Wonwoo was alarmed by the fact this stranger knew his first name, "Yes, I am Wonwoo. Who are you?"

The man chuckled, "I thought you wouldn't remember me, I'm your uncle. I've been away for far too long. Where's your mother?"

Wonwoo blinked, he did remember this stranger. The last time he came to see his sister and her newborn son, but he was not the most punctual person ever and met Wonwoo when he was five. That must've been what the case was now. Wonwoo forgot he even existed

"S-she's dead sir." Said Wonwoo, not sure the reaction he would get from this.

But the reaction was strong. His uncle's face went ghostly white and he put his hands over his mouth in shock. Wonwoo backed away a little before the man fell to his knees at the doorstep. He looked up, "Surely you must be joking,"

Wonwoo shook his head no. The man stared at him unblinkingly, "I traveled for 32 and a half months to see you two again. I, I must have been too late. W-when did this happen Wonwoo."

"About one or two months at this point." Said Wonwoo. His uncle looked at the ground blinking quickly, "I was so close, so close to seeing her again."

"D-do you want to come in?" Asked Wonwoo, "I can make you some tea or-"

"-Ah, yes, yes thank you." Said his uncle, standing up, "We have matters to discuss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY FUDGE GUYS
> 
> IT'S BEEN MONTHS  
> IM SO SORRY  
> SCHOOL AND FRIENDS AND DANCE CLASS ALL CAME DOWN ON ME AT ONCE
> 
> BUT IM FINDING TIME TO MAKE CHAPTERS OF THIS AGAIN BEAR WITH ME
> 
> IM IN A PARADE AND A RECITAL, BUT THOSE ARE DONE SOON AND I WILL BE ON BREAK IN A FEW DAYS SO IT'LL BE GREAT YOU SHOULD SEE A LOT OF NEW WRITING
> 
> PLUS THIS IS ACTUALLY GONNA GET A PLOT GUYS I HAVE IT FIGURED OUT
> 
> IF YOU'RE STILL HERE FROM THE BEGINNING HELLO HI HIYA THANKS FOR STICKING AROUND, IF YOU'RE NEW HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED SO FAR, AND IF YOU'VE JUST GOTTEN BACK TO READING THIS LIKE MONTHS IN THE FUTURE WELL WELCOME BACK PAL
> 
> THERE WILL BE A NEW CHAPTER SOON, VERY SOON I PROMISE IM ALREADY WRITING IT
> 
> THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE, I LOVE YOU ALL ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
> 
> HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND SUPPORT SEVENTEEN'S COMEBACK ON DEC 5 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IM PUMPED


	14. Chapter 14

Wonwoo had put the kettle on. The main room warmed slightly as the water slowly warmed up as well. The house still felt cold however, and odd with a new person in the house. He never felt this way about Mingyu, but somehow his uncle made him uncomfortable. He made things feel foreign. And while in the long-run Wonwoo appreciated that the family member remembered him, it didn't feel natural.

Yet, the man sat down on one of the chairs by the fireplace as though he'd sat on the chair all his life. He looked up at Wonwoo, who had just finished finding proper herbs for tea.

"So Wonwoo..." He started, "You say my sister is dead?"

"I-I'm afraid so sir." Said Wonwoo, deeply uncomfortable yet trying to be hospitable. He glanced at Sparkles, who had stayed in the doorway of his bedroom. Even she could sense the shockingly different energy of this situation, and decided to stay in the bedroom. Whether it was protective towards Mingyu or towards herself, Wonwoo didn't have time to wonder before having to plunge into conversation. He looked back to his uncle.

His uncle drummed his fingers against the arms of the chair he was sitting in, "May I ask how she died?"

Wonwoo gulped, he hadn't had to talk about this before, "Pneumonia." He stated, trying not to think about it too much.

The man's eyebrows furrowed, "But wouldn't she make a cure for something as simple as that?"

"She died in her sleep. She had it for a few days and it wasn't bad, she didn't want to waste resources on it. But it got worse one day, she said she'd just sleep it off. I suppose she did didn't she-" Retold Wonwoo miserably. He sat down in the other chair by his uncle's. The empty fireplace in front of them only added to the grim atmosphere.

His uncle said nothing, simply looking into the depths of the cold, inactive fireplace.

They stayed silent, although Wonwoo wanted nothing more than to say something that would get this man to leave. But then the kettle boiled. Wonwoo jumped up, he occupied himself with making the tea. It took his mind off the thick silence in the room.

He handed his uncle a cup, sitting back down with his own. His uncle took a small sip before speaking again.

"I suppose, I suppose. Your mother would've wanted me to tell you." He muttered to himself, swirling the steaming hot tea in its cup. Wonwoo's curiosity was killing him, desperately wanting to know what his uncle was going to tell him. But he was semi-paralyzed with fear of saying something wrong.

The man looked at him solemnly, "You are a good witch Wonwoo, the villagers at the inn spoke kindly of you." He stated, "But I'm afraid you'll have to leave the village."

Wonwoo sputtered, he had tried to take a sip of the still burning hot tea while listening but failed badly. He coughed loudly as he regained his composure, "Why would I need to leave sir? I am perfectly safe here on my own I assure you!"

His uncle sighed and placed his head in his empty hand, "It would seem so. This is your home. But, to put it softly, there is unfinished business your mother left behind. There's the matter of her will, of which she never wrote down, to my knowledge. So I would guess she left everything for you. I wouldn't take a cent of it, I am well-off from all my traveling. But there is also one very challenging task you must carry out."

Wonwoo paled at that statement, "W-what is it?"

"It's our mother. Your grandmother. She hasn't had word of your mother's death. It... It would break her to know of her daughter's death, but..." He trailed off. It was obvious this was a topic that was very sensitive to him.

"She is the most powerful witch in the known world. But she is very... Unstable. So long in the mountains without any one to talk to. Her magic could wipe out humanity. It would be inevitable. But... She always had a liking for your mother, and I don't know if she knows you exist. But perhaps... If she saw a familiar face, she could come to her senses and die a harmless death. Transferring her power to you. You look a lot like your mother, Wonwoo." He said, staring into Wonwoo's eyes with an intensity of years and years of history. His eyes emoted the pain and the mourning. But also, the little bit of optimism. The optimism that Wonwoo needed.

"But why couldn't you see your mother yourself? Why does it have to be me?" Asked Wonwoo, flabbergasted at all this new information.

His uncles eyes narrowed, "My mother and I never had a good relationship. That's why I've been traveling all my life. If she saw me again I would be murdered. For all the years of silence."

"Oh." Said Wonwoo, looking down in his teacup. His expression hardened though, as he looked up again, filled with a new determination, "So what do I need to do? What is it you're expecting of me?"

The uncle sighed, almost in a resigned but relieved way, "You will need to go to the village we grew up in. Your mother left most of her belongings there, they're rightfully yours now. You'll find them very insightful and useful if they're still there. Then you will have to go see your grandmother, tell her of your mother's death and that you are to inherit her power before she dies as well. It isn't a glamorous journey, but it needs to be done. It might save humanity, it might not."

"But if you succeed you will be safe and sound for the rest of your life. The ones closest to you can be protected. You will have infinitely more magic than you have already, which I can already tell you, you have some of your grandmother's power just from being her family. And unfortunately, you have to get it done very soon, as soon as physically possible. You might want to go today, I will show you the way to our village, but my mother never told me where she lived after that. Your mother might have letters, or a journal perhaps, where she wrote the address down. But I can't help you much. I'm afraid it's on you."

Wonwoo let his words sink in. He'd have to leave home, how could he take care of Sparkles? Or Bernard? Or, perhaps even Mingyu? He'd have to take them with him. It was the only way. But this was all so sudden, he had no idea about any of this. Yet he had to take care of it, he had to leave home and finish everything.

"Where will you be going sir, if you can't come with me?" He asked weakly, the only question he could manage at the moment.

"I haven't seen my wife for 32 months, you have to understand by the time I get back it will have been 64 months. It will have been 5 years and 4 months. I need to get back to her as soon as I can. I can give you just enough money to last you a years worth of food and rooms at inns, and can give you directions to the village, but beyond that I can't help." He said, "I'm sorry."

"But, I have a pet rabbit and a pet- bird- and also a- a boyfriend I live with. Will I have enough for all them?"

His uncle took a deep breath, "That might get you to the village. But no matter how close or far our mother is you won't have enough to get to her. You'll have to find some help, or find something in our old house in that village to get you the rest of the way. But, you live- with another man-?" He asked, avoiding the obviously romantic title Wonwoo gave Mingyu. It seemed to trouble him.

"Uh, y-yes his name is Mingyu, do you want me to wake him up?" Wonwoo asked.

The man blinked, "I need to see you off before I start heading home. If you could get going today we could both get out of here by midnight."

"So... I should wake him up, pack up what we need, along with the pets, and leave?"

"That's all you'll have time for I'm afraid."

Wonwoo nodded, "I see. I better get started then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MUCH PLOT  
> VERY STORYLINE  
> WOW
> 
> EVERYTHING WILL MAKE SENSE SOON I PROMISE


	15. Chapter 15

The door to the bedroom creaked as Wonwoo walked in.

He stood over the bed, trying to find an approach to waking up Mingyu that didn't involve scaring him half to death. The man was sound asleep, even with the sun getting higher and the morning getter brighter.

But then Wonwoo remembered. Mingyu loved neck kisses, and bites. Last time he did that Mingyu almost got hard, but they did have pretty much all day. Wonwoo smiled to himself and crawled in bed awkwardly beside Mingyu. He wrapped his arms loosely around Mingyu's thighs, due to the fact Mingyu was sleeping in a near-fetal position. 

He placed his mouth on his collarbone, placing low and long kisses up his neck, trying to add as much sensation to it has he could, breathing slowly but heavily on his neck, grazing his teeth occasionally, it was fun. Mingyu hadn't shown any signs of waking up however, and that was no good. He looked over Mingyu's neck. 

There were plenty of the bruises from the night before. Wonwoo kissed over a tender looking one, licking lightly, still breathing heavily through his nose. There was no response from Mingyu. Wonwoo felt slightly upset. Either he wasn't doing a good job, or Mingyu was purposefully trying not to signal that he was awake.

Wonwoo bit one of the bruises, not hard, but just enough to catch Mingyu off-guard if he was awake. But all he did was twitch slightly, turning a little bit in his sleep.

Wonwoo sighed. His baby must be really tired, because he wasn't faking anything. He was just too asleep to notice. He placed an innocent kiss on Mingyu's forehead and got up. He had time to wake up Mingyu later. He needed to find his grandmother's address.

He remembered, around when he was six, he found where his mother placed all the letters she'd receive. There was a chest in his mother's room where she kept any papers, or jewelry, or little trinkets she's found over the years. He decided to look in there first, the vague memories seemed to point that they may be in there.

He walked in. He hadn't been in his mother's room since her death. Her barely-used cherry wood furniture seemed faded under layers of dust. Her bed, with a pastel bedspread and intricate engravings in the wooden headboard, was neatly made but with various books and other things of the sort haphazardly left across it from when she was using them. The closet, with her small amount of clothing, was left open. The smell of her homemade perfume permeated the room. The whole room almost brought Wonwoo to tears. It was as though she was just here yesterday.

The one thing that caught Wonwoo's eye was the chest. Of a very dark wood compared to the cherry wood furniture, it stood out greatly. With silver embellishments and a broken silver lock, the box was luxurious but had seen quite a lot of use.

Wonwoo walked close, eyeing the box sadly before opening it. When he opened it, it revealed a lot of the things he remembered his mother loved. A flute from a distant land, brought to her by her brother who Wonwoo met previously, a flag of the country they lived in, lots of letters, plenty of jewelry and a few framed pictures of now dead relatives.

He recognized a few faces. His dad, who died before he was born, his aunt from his father's side, who stayed in touch until she died two years previously, the uncle he had met, but besides that the rest of the faces were unfamiliar. Yet they seemed a whole lot happier than anyone he knew now.

He kept looking, analyzing each of the letters. While looking for an address, he found a knife and a small book of native plants, of which he pocketed. They would be useful for a long trip. And when he felt like he was losing hope, he found a peculiar envelope. It was deep blue with silver writing. It was addressed to Wonwoo's mother, by her first name and last name. The return address was simply:

"Mistress Jeon   
3 Valencia Lane  
The Tiger Stripe Mountains"

His mother was the only other Mistress Jeon he knew of. And the Tiger Stripe Mountains were far, far away. Wonwoo had never seen them. He was almost positive that this was from his grandmother. He took out the letter to read:

"My Dear Daughter,

"It has been so long. Ever since you moved away with that man of yours, I've been thinking how alone I am up here. Am I correct in saying that you are expecting a child? You will have to show me her. I will see her magical potential. God forbid its a boy, they will be useless to me. If it is a boy, you will bring him to me regardless. He will be euthanized. It will be pleasant to see you again. I hope you see reason and come back to see me."

Wonwoo stared at the letter. His mother and grandmother did indeed have a falling out, when his mother moved away. He had a feeling his mother never took him to see his grandmother. 

"I would had been murdered, 'euthanized'," He muttered under his breath, "had my mother brought me to her."

It stewed in his mind. She really was losing her mind once her children went away. She was losing her senses. There must've been something that drove his mother and his uncle away from her. It made him more worried than he was before.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. He whipped around and saw from the doorway stood Mingyu, looking drowsy but well-rested.

"Wonwoo, how come you weren't in bed with me?" He asked walking over and hugging Wonwoo from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder.

Wonwoo hastily folded up the letter, so Mingyu wouldn't see the slightly disturbing contents. He shrugged away from Mingyu so he could face towards him. Mingyu's expression changed to one of confusion and concern, "Are you okay Wonwoo? Did I do something wrong?"

Wonwoo shook his head rapidly, "No. Mingyu, I have to tell you something."

Mingyu's facial features softened, "Tell me anything Wonwoo."

And with that, Wonwoo retold the story of his uncle, and what his uncle had set apon them, and what was to become of them next. Mingyu had the concerned-looking frown on his face the entire time.

"So you do have family," he said, deep in thought.

"I do. And I need to see them again." Said Wonwoo. 

Mingyu nodded more in thought than in agreement. He seemed to have conflicting thoughts. Wonwoo didn't know what he was thinking, but as the silence crept on Wonwoo got more and more insecure.

"I-I mean, you don't have to come. My cottage will be empty and I know yo-ou like it here-" He stuttered. But Mingyu cut him off by pressing a tender kiss against his lips. That shut Wonwoo up very well. Mingyu pulled away and stared at him, a sureness in his expression.

"I am staying with you until you don't want me in your company." He said, "It's entirely your choice whether you want me to go with you. But as long as you let me stay by your side, I will do my best to keep it that way." He smiled warmly, lightly massaging Wonwoo's shoulder in one of his hands, "I'm yours Wonwoo, I owe my freaking life to you."

Wonwoo stared back at Mingyu, taking in his words, "Well," he started, "As long as you let me take care of you I will drag you along on my little adventures."

Mingyu giggled and rested his forehead against Wonwoo's, "I like being taken care of. It's new to me."

Wonwoo pecked Mingyu lightly, "It's new for me to have- well-" Wonwoo furrowed his brows, "Wait- nevermind I've taken care of Sparkles so its not really new to me."

Mingyu snorted, "Well you've never had anyone as sexy as me to take care of." He said with a cheeky grin.

"Damn right." Said Wonwoo, pulling Mingyu into an extremely tight hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds until Wonwoo pulled away, "We have packing to do though, we better get started."

And start they did, Wonwoo found Sparkles and explained the situation. Which made her very excited to be able to adventure. And Bernard seemed excited, Wonwoo didn't explain anything to him but Bernard seemed to have a permanent aura of excitement about him. 

While this was happening, Mingyu was looking through Wonwoo's "villager clothing" drawer, folding up a few pairs of extra clothing for him to use himself. Wonwoo didn't have immense amounts of variety in his clothing, and simply packed a few of his warmest and most durable robes. 

They were quite productive. Once they were done clothing-wise, Mingyu joined Wonwoo in debating what little items they could take with them. They were going on foot, so they needed to be able to carry it all themselves. In the bags they put the clothes in, they also brought Wonwoo's potions recipe book, the knife and the book he found in his mother's storage chest, and a light, metal pot for cooking and potion-making.

They couldn't bring much. Wonwoo only brought four bottles for potions and food, which filled up almost the entirety of his bag besides the robes. But they were essential to their survival.

By 3pm, they had narrowed down everything they needed. They pretty much emptied the contents of Wonwoo's pantry into whatever remaining space they had. Wonwoo unhooked Bernard's cage from the ceiling, causing Bernard to make a commotion from inside. Sparkles trailed behind him, as she had nothing she needed to pack considering she ate plants. They were all outside and quickly taking inventory of everything.

"You have the books in your bag?" Asked Wonwoo.

"Yes, the book, the knife, and the metal pot." Mingyu replied, not looking up from his bag.

Wonwoo looked up from his and sighed. This was going to be life-changing. He might not even see this place again. He could die, he could get lost. There were many things he couldn't say he'd be safe from. They were had to travel through the woods. Which were dangerous enough without being in them for a prolonged period of time.

He stared into them as if staring into space. He didn't even notice movement until he felt what he was staring at, staring back at him. Two piercing eyes with red-brown irises stared down Wonwoo from a good 200 feet away.

It was Junhui. The vampire. He must've lived somewhere in the woods since that's one of the only places Wonwoo's ever seen him during daylight besides the market. Wonwoo was about to alert Mingyu of his presence just as Junhui disappeared back into the foliage. Wonwoo's eyes searched for him but he left to hastily for Wonwoo to see him again.

"Wonwoo, what are you staring at?" Asked Mingyu curiously, glancing towards the forest and then back to Wonwoo.

"Ah, uhm," Said Wonwoo. He had never told Mingyu about Junhui. The bite had happened before Mingyu and he started dating. Wonwoo didn't think it'd be a worry.

"It's nothing Mingyu, lets get going."


End file.
